Influence of maternal bio-social factors on birthweight

ABSTRACT

Influence of maternal bio-social factors; including age; pre-pregnancy weight/height; social class; birth-order; birth-spacing; educational level and use of antenatal-care facilities; on birthweights of 1;238 singletons was studied over a period of six months at three hospitals in Ibadan. There was a significant (p0.001) influence on birthweight by the age of the mother; such that teenage mothers gave birth to lighter babies than older mothers. The study also revealed that the most appropriate period in life for a woman to have normal size babies was between 25 and 29 years of age. There was a significant difference (p0.05) between the mean birthweight of babies delivered by mothers weighing less than 70kg and those whose weights were 70kg and above