Predictors of Weight Gain among Very Low Birth Weight Infants Born at the Maternity and Children Hospitals in Jeddah during 2012-2013.

Background: Growth failure and restricted weight gain in very low birth weight (VLBW) infants remains extremely common despite advances in neonatal care. A majority of VLBW infants leave the hospital with weights below the 10th percentile for age. A variety of measures including nutritional interventions have been considered to achieve adequate weight gain in these infants for preventing short- and long-term lifetime complications. Objective: This study aims to profile factors that impact weight gain among VLBW infants in three Maternity and Children Hospitals in Jeddah City, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia [KSA]. Methods: A prospective study with short follow-up selected a nonrandom sample of infants for collecting data related to parents and admitted VLBW infants in three hospitals. The medical files of actively admitted VLBW infants [n=61] to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) were daily examined for a period of four months through 1st January, 2013 to 30th April, 2013 until their discharge. Results: Within a variety of categorical and continuous parental and infants’ variables, joint family income and total formula milk fed to VLBW infants significantly correlated with weight gain in VLBW infants. However, the most powerful predictor of weight gain in VLBW infants was total formula milk fed to them. Conclusion: This study calls for further studies for identifying other predictors of weight gain in VLBW infants in Saudi Arabia.

Prevalence and Risk Factors of Very Low Birth Weight in Infants Born at the Maternity and Children Hospitals in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia during 2012-2013.

Background: The prevalence of low birth weight in infants which is associated with a large number of risk factors is increasing worldwide and is a major cause of infant morbidity and mortality. Objective: This study aims to describe demographic, clinical and anthropometric profile of VLBW in infants, its prevalence, associated risk factors and maternal medical complications in three Maternity and Children Hospitals in Jeddah City, Saudi Arabia. Methods: Two study designs used in this research selected two convenient samples of VLBW infants for collecting cross-sectional retrospective and prospective data. The clinical records of VLBW infants [n=387] were reviewed retrospectively for estimating the one year prevalence rate while for identifying the possible risk factors of VLBW infants, the medical files of actively admitted patients [n=61] were daily examined for a period of Original Research Article British Journal of Medicine & Medical Research, 4(27): 4553-4569, 2014 4554 four months. Results: Beside socio demographic, clinical and anthropometric characteristics of VLBW infants, this study estimated the prevalence of VLBW infants to be 3.3% along with underlying risk factors of VLBW, its comorbidities, and maternal medical complications. Conclusion: The prevalence of VLBW infants is constantly increasing not only in Saudi Arabia but also worldwide and VLBW is associated with a variety of possible risk factors. There is a need to conduct a nationwide community-based study on the prevalence and risk factors of VLBW infants in Saudi Arabia.