title: Socio-demographic and consanguinity risk factors associated with low birthweight.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine socio-demographic and biological risk factors associated with mothers giving birth to a low birthweight newborn among Arab women in Qatar.
  
  
  METHODS
  The case-control study was conducted at two main tertiary hospitals in Qatar in which participants were prospectively identified from January 2010 to April 2011. Data were collected by survey on maternal ethnicity, age, education, socioeconomic status, body mass index, consanguinity and gestational age. A total of 16,500 newborns were screened for low birthweight. A total of 863 mothers of low birthweight cases and an equal number of mothers of normal-weight babies were studied.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Qatari mothers were found to be 1.2 times as likely to have a low birthweight (< 2500g) newborn compared to other Arab women (p < 0.057). Mothers with a primary school education were 1.6 times as likely as university educated mothers to have a low birthweight newborn (p < 0.006). Likewise, obese mothers were 1.5 times as likely as their normal-weight counterparts (p < 0.009). Consanguineous couples who were first-degree cousins were 1.9 times as likely as non-related couples to have a low birthweight newborn (p < 0.001). Newborns with a gestational age of < 37 weeks were 19.6 times as likely as those > or = 37 weeks to have a low birthweight (p < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The majority of the risk factors associated with low birthweight were modifiable. Health education campaigns need to target the most vulnerable groups to reduce the rates of low birthweight among Arabs in Qatar.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Statistics & Epidemiology, Hamad Medical Corporation, Hamad General Hospital, Qatar. abener@hmc.org.qa
authors.forename: Abdulbari
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bener
authors.forename: Najah Mohammed
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Saleh
authors.forename: Khalil Mohd Khalil
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Salameh
authors.forename: Basma
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Basha
authors.forename: Sharen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Joseph
authors.forename: Rama
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Al Buz
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D018912:Arabs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D001724:Birth Weight; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003241:Consanguinity; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007230:Infant, Low Birth Weight; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology; D011780:Qatar / Q000453:epidemiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D055815:Young Adult