SOME FACTORS AFFECTING BIRTH WEIGHTS IN MOROGORO, TANZANIA

Three hundred and thirty two pregnant women who were attending three a ntenatal clinics in Morogoro Municipality in Tanzania were followed in their third trimester of pregnancy in a study which aimed at finding if there was any association between weight gain in third trimester an d birth weight of singleton deliveries. The relationship between weigh t and gestational period, age of the mother, parity and maternal weigh t near term were also studied. Univariate regression analysis showed t hat there was a strong positive correlation between birth weight and g estational period. Correlation was also found between birth weight and age of the mother, parity and weight near term, while a week correlat ion was found between birth weight and maternal weight gain in the thi rd trimester. Multiple regression analysis showed that only the gestat ion period and weight near term were independently related to birth we ight. Despite low maternal weight gain, birth weight was not affected, this shows that there might be some physiological adaptation which co me into play to protect the foetus where a woman is subjected to inade quate nutrition during pregnancy.