Sammantha Vilchez
Biology Lab 1615
Article Summary: Anthropometric determinants of low birth weight in newborns of Hoshiarpur
district (Punjab) - A hospital based study
Thousands of children are born daily, almost all of them are ready to go home with their
families after only a few hours, or days. But, for the other few, there is sometimes a little longer
of a wait, and maybe even more tests, and pokes. For this study, Scientist’s wanted to find a
better way to measure, and stabilize babies who are considered LBW (low birth weight). They
wanted to get more in detail with what is happening with the baby’s exact body measurements,
and not just their physical weight. For where this study was taking place (Punjab, India)
healthcare professionals where doing all that they could to care for these babies, but with limited
information coming in, babies would be given the thumbs up to be taken home, only to realize
that they were LBW, with sustaining health issues. The outcome for children who are born LBW
are almost always positive, they just need a little more time in the hospital, with more care from
loving nurses, and doctors.
The materials that these Scientist’s used for collecting their data was “height was
measured using an infantometer and weight with digital weighing scale.” (Kaur et al, 2012) They
weighed the babies whose primarily Indian mothers, were allowed to participate in the study
based off of many factors that they needed to fulfill. They were not followed throughout their
pregnancy like most pregnancy-based studies, the Scientist’s just needed information from their
9th month of pregnancy, then after, babies were measured within “48 hours of birth” (Kaur et al,
2012) Scientist’s then approached with “A Harpender skinfold caliper used to measure skinfold
thickness and an inelastic tape to measure circumference measurements of the newborn.” (Kaur
et al, 2012) The Scientist’s used all of their collected data and put it into the worldwide statistical
range for babies born at full-term, but compared to babies considered and confirmed LBW, and
created information on that.
After all of the studies were finished, and Scientist’s had gathered the information they
needed to figure out what the most appropriate approach was to finding out the true evaluation of
what range babies need to be in, to be evaluated as LBW. “This indicated that of crown heel
length, head circumference, mid arm circumference, subscapular skinfold, biceps skinfold and
thigh skinfold thicknesses are the significant contributors of birth weight of newborns.” (Kaur et
al, 2012) This single sentence confirms completely what this study was in search for. Scientists
found out that if all of those measurement’s came out to be within a certain range that babies
with those contributing factors would be considered LBW.
The Scientists who got this whole study going, who also gathered the people, the data,
and tested the babies measurements that truly added up to them being LBW are the true heroes of
LBW babies, and them being able to heal, and go home healthy. They used simple math to make
sure that a baby really is going to go home with the best health possible, and that they are going
home with a less-likely chance of having to come back for treatment. For somewhere like
Punjab, India, where healthcare for mothers, and babies is possibly not top-notch, this study was
lifesaving. This showed that healthcare workers; doctors, nurses, and anyone else, can always be
expanding their knowledge, and can use the tools given to them to easily measure a baby and
confirm that, that neonate is getting the best possible amenities available. If a neonate needs
more time, then healthcare practitioners can be positive that they check these signs to plan for the
best service.
Works Cited
Kaur, H. (2012). Anthropometric determinants of low birth weight in newborns of Hoshiarpur
district (Punjab). A Hospital Based Study, ((ISSN 2277 4424)), 376-386. Retrieved from
http://biology1615.weebly.com/uploads/5/5/4/8/5548644/determinants_of_low_birth_weight.pdf