TITLE:
Racial and Ethnic Analysis of Birth Weight Trends among Full-Term Singleton Newborns Delivered in a Prosperous Multicultural Society
AUTHORS:
Husam Salama, Hilal Al Rifai, Sawsan Al-Obaidly, Mai Al Qubasi, Nawal El Saeed, Ashraf Mansour, Amani Saeed
KEYWORDS:
Birth Weight, Newborn, Qatar, Low Birth Weight, Large Birth Weight
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology,
Vol.11 No.12,
December
28,
2021
ABSTRACT: Objectives: This study aims to describe birth weight and its variations concerning
maternal characteristics as well as to standardize birth weight curves for
Qatari and expatriate’s newborn population born in the state of Qatar. Methods: PEARL-Peristat registry is a National maternal-neonatal observation
epidemiologic database project where both maternal and neonatal cohort data are
collected to evaluate specified outcomes for a population defined by a disease,
conditions, or exposures. Results: Out of 50,535
singleton deliveries, only 44,178
live-born infants were included in this study. The LBW rate has remained
constant since 2011 and was reported as 2.4% in males and 3.5% in females. The
average total LBW was 3%. The lowest incidence of LBW was seen in maternal age
between 30 - 45 years. There was a marginal increase in the incidence of LBW among
mothers less than 20 years of age. The incidence of LBW among Qatari mothers
was reported as 2.6%, 2.2%, and 2.4% in years 2011, 2012,
2017 respectively with a significant difference when compared to expatriates’
newborns particularly in the year 2017 (p-value % to 4.1% (p-value ≥ 0.007). The expatriate’s population received 69 % of all maternal hospital
services offered in government hospitals. Conclusion: The birth weight
of newborns delivered in the state of Qatar is to a large extent consistent
with the international birth weight figures for both Qatari and expatriate
newborns delivered in Qatar. Low birth weight is increasing particularly among
young mothers. The lowest rate of LBW was reported among mothers aged above 29
years old. Large for the date was observed among mothers older than 29 years of
age.