González-Cossío T, Sanín L H, Hernández-Avila M, Rivera J, Hu H
Centro de Investigación en Salud Poblacional (CISP), Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública (INSP), México.
Salud Publica Mex. 1998 Mar-Apr;40(2):119-26.
To identify determinants of weight (BW) and length at birth (BL).
We studied 481 mother-newborn pairs in three Mexico City hospitals. Multiple regression models were developed to identify statistically significant predictors of BW and BL with respect to a predetermined biological model. Independent variables included were: maternal anthropometry, age, smoking habits, and civil status, parental education, obstetric history, hypertension, and neonatal characteristics.
In the group with calf circumference (CC), height and head circumference below the median BW was 133, 92 and 96 g lower (+/- 35 standard error -SE-, p < 0.01) than the group above the median, adjusting for socioeconomic, obstetric history, and neonatal characteristics (NC). In the group below the median CC or height, BL was 5.8 or 6.2 mm (+/- 1.9 mm SE, p < 0.01) respectively, adjusting for obstetric history and NC.
Results suggest that maternal anthropometry is the most important predictor of birth size and that predictors for BW and BL differ.
