The Relationship Between Maternal Age And Low Birth Weight Incidents at Popayato Health Center In Pohuwato Regency
Keywords:
Maternal age, low birth weight, pregnancy , maternal and childAbstract
Low birth weight (LBW) remains a major maternal and infant health problem that significantly contributes to neonatal morbidity and mortality, particularly in developing countries including Indonesia. One key maternal factor in low birth weight (LBW) cases is the mother's age during pregnancy and delivery. Pregnancy at extreme ages, whether too young or too old, is known to carry a higher risk of poor pregnancy outcomes.This study aims to analyze the relationship between maternal age and the incidence of low birth weight at Popayato Health Center, Pohuwato Regency. This study used an analytical design with a cross-sectional approach. The study sample consisted of 30 postpartum mothers who were selected using a purposive sampling technique based on medical record data at Popayato Community Health Center for the period of January–March 2024The independent variable is the mother's age, categorized into <20 years, 20–35 years, and >35 years, while the dependent variable is the occurrence of low birth weight (LBW). Data were collected using a checklist and analyzed univariately and bivariately using the Chi-Square test with a significance level of α = 0.05. The research results show that the majority of babies born fall into the low birth weight category. Bivariate analysis showed a significant relationship between maternal age and the incidence of low birth weight (p-value = 0.038). A higher proportion of low birth weight (LBW) was found in mothers under 20 years old and over 35 years old compared to mothers aged 20–35 years. It can be concluded that maternal age is associated with the occurrence of LBW. These findings underscore the importance of age-based pregnancy risk screening as well as strengthening antenatal monitoring and reproductive health education as efforts to prevent low birth weight at the primary healthcare level.
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