A Low-Cost Tool for Traditional Birth Attendants to Identify Low-Birth-Weight Infants

Abstract

One of the most important strategies in health development is inter-sectoral collaboration. This study is an example of collaboration between a medical doctor and an animal-production scientist to develop an easy, low-cost, rapid method for the assessment of birth weight. In developing countries where neonatal and infant mortality are high, birth weight could be a useful measure for identifying high-rise; neonates who need special attention. However, weighing a newborn is often not possible because more than three-fourths of deliveries take place at home. Most are attended by village midwives or traditional birth attendants who do not have weighing scales. Our study in the Wad Medani teaching hospital showed that chest circumference is the best predictor of birth weight (R2 82%, corresponding to a correlation coefficient of .91). A tape was developed with chest circumference measurements corresponding to predicted birth weights. The tape is coloured so that it can be used by illiterate midwives. Both the midwives and their instructors in the midwifery school found this method easy to learn and use.