Abstract

Background: Birth weight is influenced by various biosocial factors, and many unfavorable conditions may affect the health and general well-being of the mother. One particular factor cannot be attributed to the incidence of low birth weight (LBW).

Objective: To determine the biosocial determinants of birth weight in rural Karnataka, India.

Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted at a rural Primary Health Centre of Belgaum district of Karnataka. All the 159 women delivered during the time of study period were included in the study. Proportion and X2-test were applied to see the association between different variables.

Results: The prevalence of LBW was 27.7%. The birth weight of children was associated with age, educational status, socioeconomic status, and interpregnancy interval of the mothers (p < 0.05).

Conclusion: The study suggests that the awareness about the locally available nutritious food for dietary intake should be increased. The culture of marrying the daughter of age less than 18 should be discouraged by imparting the health education regarding its impact on health.

Key words: Birth weight, interpregnancy interval, biosocial determinant, pregnancy