Analysis of low birth weight first-born babies by geography and deprivation as an aid to policy and service targeting

Abstract

Background: Low birth weight (LBW), which is defined as a birth weight of <2500 g, is considered to be an indicator of a range of negative health outcomes.

Methods: The feasibility of using child health data at small area (SA) level to explore patterns of LBW in an Irish region comprising the counties of Dublin, Kildare and Wicklow (DKW) for the 2006-2015 period was assessed. A logistic regression model was created using R software.

Results: LBW occurred in 5% of births to first time mothers and was associated with living in more deprived areas (OR: 1.5) and a maternal age of over 40 years (OR: 1.8).

Conclusion: The potential of geocoding routinely collected data to explore the relationship between child health indicators and areas of deprivation, and inform the targeting of resources to reduce health inequalities is demonstrated.

Keywords: children; pregnancy and childbirth disorders; public health.