Prevalence and Determinants of Low Birth Weight in Ethiopia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Introduction. Low birth weight (LBW) is the most significant risk factor for neonatal and infant mortality. It is one of the major public health problems in developing countries. Although there are various studies on low birth weight, findings were inconsistent and inconclusive. Therefore, this study was conducted to estimate the national-pooled prevalence of low birth weight and its associated factors in Ethiopia. Method. Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guideline was followed. This meta-analysis employed a review of both published and unpublished studies conducted in Ethiopia. The databases used were PubMed, Google Scholar, CINAHL, and African Journals Online. Relevant search terms for prevalence and determinants of LBW were used to retrieve articles. The meta-analysis was conducted using STATA 14 software. Forest plots were used to present the findings. The Cochran Q test and I2 test statistics were used to test heterogeneity across studies. Egger’s test was used to assess the publication bias of included studies. The pooled prevalence and the odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were computed and were presented using forest plots. Results. A total of 28 studies, 50,110 newborn babies, were included in this meta-analysis. The pooled prevalence of LBW in Ethiopia was 14.1% (95% CI = 11.2, 17.1). Higher variation in the prevalence of LBW in different regions across the country was observed. Significant association of LBW with sex of the newborn baby, higher odds among female babies (OR = 1.5 (95% CI = 1.2, 1.7)), prematurity (OR = 4.7 (95% CI = 1.5, 14.5)), not attending prenatal care (OR = 1.7 (95% CI = 1.4, 2.2)), pregnancy-induced hypertension (OR = 6.7 (95% CI = 3.5, 12.9)), and newborn babies whose mothers were from rural areas (OR = 1.8 (95% CI = 1.2, 2.6) were the factors associated with low birth weight. Conclusions. The prevalence of LBW in Ethiopia was high. LBW was associated with several maternal and newborn characteristics. The large disparity of LBW among the different regions in the country needs targeted intervention in areas with higher prevalence. Particular emphasis should be given to mothers residing in rural areas. Community-based programs are important to increase the use of prenatal care.

Machine learning algorithms for predicting low birth weight in Ethiopia

“…According to previous research [1,15,16], Ethiopia is one of the countries with the most significant number of low birth weight babies globally. Furthermore, while the prevalence of low birth weight has decreased in the country from time to time, more work is needed to promote this decline and to limit the detrimental implications of the occurrence [1,4,13,25]. In this study, the average birth weight was 3268.983 g, with a maximum of 6000 g and a minimum of 500 g, while quartiles one and three were 3000 and 3750 g, respectively.…”

“…According to [13], Ethiopia has a high prevalence of low birth weight variations. Newborn sex, prenatal care follow-up, pregnancy-induced hypertension, preterm birth, and mother's residency linked to LBW.…”

Current status of methodological and reporting quality of systematic reviews and meta-analyses in medicine and health science fields in Ethiopia: Leveraging quantity to improve quality

“…25 Moreover, a high number of SR might lead to research waste, as the publication of overlapping SR and MA is becoming evident. 26, 27 For example, we found 28 duplicates on various topics: two on mother-to-child transmission of HIV 28, 29 , two on HIV/AIDS treatment failure 30, 31 , three on nursing process 32-34 , three on antenatal depression 35-37 , three on postnatal depression 38-40 , three on breastfeeding 41-43 , three on immunization coverage 44-46 , three on low birth weight 47-49 , two on tuberculosis treatment non-adherence 50, 51 , two on maternal-near miss 52, 53 and two on antiepleptive medication non-adherence. 54, 55 To minimize research waste, authors must register their protocol, thoroughly search protocol registration cites and communicate each other whenever possible.…”

Maternal Complications and Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes among Pregnant Women who Acquired Asymptomatic Bacteriuria in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

“…Additionally, neonatal mortality decreased from 39 to 29 deaths per 1000 live births between 2005 and 2016 and remained steady since 2016 [ 27 , 28 ]. Furthermore, a review of most predisposing factors of worst pregnancy outcomes showed that mean birth weight of babies born from 1990–2017 ranges from 2.077 to 3.147 kg [ 29 ]. Another review of literature in Ethiopia reported that pooled prevalence of preterm was 13.32% [ 30 ].…”