Weight gain during pregnancy--a key factor in perinatal and infant mortality.
OBJECTIVE
To identify risk factors for high perinatal (PMR) and infant (IMR) mortality in a rural area.


METHODS
In 49 randomly selected villages from two adjoining blocks of rural Varanasi, all pregnant women and live births were followed for perinatal and infant mortality, during the years 1988-1992.


METHODS
6790 births and their 6649 live births.


RESULTS
The PMR was 90.7 per thousand births and IMR was 98.6/1000 live births. These mortalities were significantly higher if weight gain during pregnancy was less than 7.0 kg. Low weight gain during pregnancy was also associated with significantly higher low birth weight deliveries and to some extent increased still birth rate. PMR and IMR decreased with higher levels of hemoglobin in third trimester and socioeconomic index; however, the calculated RR were not significant.


CONCLUSIONS
Low weight gain during pregnancy is an important risk factor for PMR and IMR.
Agarwal
D K
DK
Department of Pediatrics, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India.
Agarwal
K N
KN
Satya
K
K
Agarwal
S
S
D000328:Adult; D001132:Arm / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D001724:Birth Weight; D001827:Body Height; D015992:Body Mass Index; D005260:Female; D005313:Fetal Death / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D007226:Infant Mortality; D007230:Infant, Low Birth Weight; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D011247:Pregnancy / Q000097:blood / Q000502:physiology*; D011263:Pregnancy Trimester, Third; D012307:Risk Factors; D012423:Rural Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012923:Social Class; D015430:Weight Gain
D006454:Hemoglobins