title: Path analysis of the risk of low birth weight for multipara.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  LBW rate is one of the most important health indices in every society. It reveals mothers and their new-born infants' health.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Our aim, in the present paper, was to present a new statistical framework for analysis based on path analysis techniques.
  
  
  METHODS
  A prospective study was conducted in two maternity wards, (privet & governmental hospital) in Sari, Iran. In this research a check-list containing 25 questions about mother's demographic information and her new-born infant was prepared. Every new born infant who was born weighing less than 2500 g was entered in our study and just next the newborn infant who was normal all of his/her information use to be taken too, (n = 190). Path analysis, an extension of the regression model, was used in this study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Obviously exactly half of the infants were LBW, and the remainder were normal. There were 97 boys and 93 girls. The percentage of IUGR among mothers who had preterm delivery was 19, while this percentage for mothers who had term delivery was 11.5 (P value = 0.167). LBW infants were 36.7% unexpected, while this percent for normal infants was 15.5 (P value < 0.001). Preterm delivery has a significant and direct effect on LBW (p value < 0.001), and its positive sign of path coefficient shows that if it occurs, the probability of LBW will increase, the second important was IUGR, the results showed unexpected pregnancy had direct effect on LBW but this wasn't significant (P value = 0.292).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  By preventing unnecessary termination of pregnancy and keeping fit, the chances of LBW can be reduced.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biostatistics and Community Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Mazandarana, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Amir
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hamta
authors.affiliation: Department of Biostatistics and Community Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Mazandarana, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Ali Reza
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Khalilian
authors.affiliation: Department of pediatrics, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Mazandarana, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Roya
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Farhadi
authors.affiliation: Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Mazandarana, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Hossein
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ranjbaran
keywords: LBW; Multipara; Path Analysis