Impact of maternal risk factors on birth weight of newborn in bint Al-Huda Hospital at Al-Nasiriyah City/Iraq

A cross sectional analytic study was carried out to identify the maternal risk factors which contribute to occurrence of low birth weight, and to determine the statistical significant differences between low birth weight and maternal risk factors. A purposive sample of (100) woman was selected from Bent al Hoda Teaching Hospital. Data was collected through the interview of mothers. Questionnaire format was designed and consisted seven parts, demographic variables, and reproductive variables, Reproductive health variables, and complications during the current pregnancy, the mother newborn variables nutritional status for the mother, antenatal care services, and the psychosocial status for pregnant women. Validity and reliability of the questionnaire were determined by conducting a pilot study. Descriptive and inferential statistical procedures were used to analyze the data. Most of them their age was ranged between (20-34) years and the highest percentage of them were graduated of primary school and less, most of them were housewives with low socioeconomic status. The result indicated that there were five important variables contributed to the incidence of low birth weight and these variables were gestational age nutrition status, previous low birth weight, and psychosocial status for pregnant women during pregnancy and the age of mothers.