DOI: 10.36347/sjams.2018.v06i01.029

Pages: 136-138

Low birth weight (Birth weight < 2,500g) has been identified as the single most important underlying factor for neonatal deaths. In Nigeria, 36% of deliveries happen at home, in churches or with traditional birth attendants (TBAs) and neonatal mortality rate is 40 deaths per 1000 live births, with 11%ofnew-borns born with low birth weight (LBW).This study was aimed at evaluating chest circumference as simple, inexpensive anthropometric surrogate that can be used in the prediction of low birth weight in Port Harcourt. across sectional study in which birth Weight and Chest Circumference of 500 singleton babies were obtained within 24 hours of delivery was done during ten (10) month period. Minitab Statistical Software was used to analyze the data. Correlation analysis was done to determine the relationship between birth weight and chest circumference. 3.8% of the babies measured had low birth weight. The mean values for birth weight, and chest circumference were 3.326±0.512kg, and 33.21±2.414cm respectively. Chest circumference had a strong positive correlation with birth weight in both sexes (r= 0.897 for males and r= 0.899 in females). Measurement of chest circumference is a suitable, inexpensive surrogate that can be used in assessment of low birth weight in new-borns in areas where there is unavailability of the required resources to check birth weight and its measurement is very feasible as the nipple line is easily identifiable by both trained and untrained birth attendants.