Abstract:
This study was conducted on mothers who delivered low birth weight babies during the
period of 1st February to 15th March 2006 in Teaching Hospital, Kandy. It was carried out
with the aim of determining the risk factors affecting the birth weight of their babies.
Anthropometric data such as maternal height and weight; socio demographic data such as
age, ethnicity, education, income, exposure to stress; present pregnancy factors such as
parity, antenatal care, exposure to smoke; and present pregnancy outcome factors such as
sex of the baby, and mode of delivery were obtained by interviewer administered
questionnaire. Each mother was interviewed in the post natal ward during this period and
the responses were cross checked with hospital records. Of the total births of 694 during the
stipulated period, 132 mothers (cases) delivered live babies with birth weight less than
2500g after completion of 3 7 weeks of gestation and 132 mothers (controls) delivered live
babies with normal birth weight next to the low birth weight delivery, in the same postnatal
ward during that period at General Hospital, Kandy. According to this study maternal
weight, education, income and antenatal care were found to significantly and positively
influence birth weight whilst parity, exposure to stress and exposure to smoke were found to
significantly and negatively influence the birth weight of the new born.
