The Association Between the Maternal Body Mass Index and the Birth Weight of Infants Born

Abstract

Background: Birth weight is one of the most important and reliable indicators of neonatal survival, physical and mental development of the neonate and is influenced by various factors including genetics, socio-cultural and demographic factors of the mother and one of the most important factors is mother's body mass index (BMI) which directly and indirectly reflects the health and well-being of the mother and her nutritional status. Objectives: The relationship between maternal body mass index and birth weight of neonetes born in hospitals of Islamic Azad University, Tehran Medical Sciences from 2021 to 2022. Methods: In this cross-sectional descriptive study, 288 neonates born in hospitals of Azad University are selected. Information about neonates (gender and birth weight) and maternal information (BMI, age, occupation, education, type of delivery, gestational age, parity and history of preeclampsia) and family income are included in the designed questionnaire. Results: The mean age and BMI of the studied pregnant mothers were 30 and 29, respectively, and the mean weight of the newborns born from these mothers was estimated to be 3200 g. Among the mothers studied, 232 had abnormal body mass index, of which 41% were overweight and about 40% were obese. Among the neonates studied, 25 had abnormal weight, of which 11 were low birth weight and 14 were macrosomic. Analysis of the data of this study showed that maternal BMI can affect pregnancy outcome and birth weight of neonates. Between the mother's BMI and the baby's birth weight, there is a significant relationship. Conclusions: Due to the high mean BMI in pregnant women in this study and the possibility of giving birth to overweight neonate in obese mothers and the complications and risks of macrosomia and the possibility of weight gain and obesity in adulthood, it is necessary to pay attention to overweight pregnant women.