Risk factors for low birth weight according to variables of the mother and the newborn, in Maringá-PR, from 1996 to 2002

Abstract

The System of Information of Live Births (SINASC) was implemented by the Ministry of Health in 1990, using the Certificate of Live Birth as database, which facilitates the search for children who are born with some risk characteristics, such as low birth weight (< 2,500 g). The objective of the present study was to identify and characterize the determinant causes of low birth weight in children residing in Maringá-PR from the year of 1996 until 2002, according to variables from the child and mother, and from the Birth Certificate. The studied population constituted of 30,383 single births in Maringá-PR during the period from 1996 until 2002. The study was transversal and analytical. The variables related to the children were birth weight, gender and Apgar at the first and fifth minutes of life. The variables selected from the mother were schooling, marital status and age. Low birth weight was adopted as a dependent variable. Tests of the differences between the averages related to the mother’s and child’s variables were performed, followed by a qui-square test of association, with the level of significance of 5%. The prevalence of low birth weight found in 1996 was of 5.6%, increasing to 6.1% in 2002, representing an 8.9% increase. All the variables studied were found to be associated with low birth weight (p < 0.001). The use of the database of the SINASC allowed the identification of associated factors to the occurrence of low birth weight in Maringá.