Introduction: For a long time, birth weight has been considered an indicator of the health of the baby in the first few months of life. This is because babies who are of low birth weight are at increased risk of mortality and neonatal morbidity. Approximately 25% of children born in Low and Middle Income Countries (LMICs) are of low birth weight. With maternal nutrition having the potential to influence birth outcomes in developing countries, studies have examined the effect of diet and nutrition on low birth weight. Despite improvements in newborn and child health indicators, low birth weight remains a major public health problem in many African countries and Zambia is no exception.
This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of low birth weight and its relation to maternal nutrition among mothers in Chifubu; a peri-urban area in Ndola, Zambia.
Methodology: This cross-section analytical study measured diet and nutritional intake during pregnancy of mothers aged 15-45 years who attended under five clinics at Chipokotamayamba clinic by use of questionnaires and interviews. The univariate analysis and other descriptive statistics and associations were established using the chi-square with statistical significance set at 0.05.
Results: The prevalence of birth weight was 5.3%. None of the nutritional and diet factors was found to have an association with birth weight. However, maternal age at delivery, education level pre-pregnancy BMI and gestation period had a significant relationship with birth weight.
Conclusion: Low birth weight prevalence decreases with an increase in maternal age while the lower the educational level attained, the lower the prevalence of birth weight. A normal value of pre-pregnancy BMI is associated with a reduced prevalence of low birth weight and an increase in gestational period reduces the prevalence of low birth weight.
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