Prenatal factors associated with the birth weight of newborns in Peruvian pregnant women

Gomez Rutti Y.Y.; Fonseca Tumbaco R.D.C.; Herrera Martínez C.M.; Gordillo Cortaza J.D.R.; Gaibor Tenemaza C.D.; Burgos Brito J.P.; Ramirez Rodriguez R. · Nutricion Clinica y Dietetica Hospitalaria (2026) · DOI: 10.12873/461yygomez

Resumen

Introduction: Birth weight is a critical indicator of neonatal health associated with infant morbidity and mortality. Identifying the prenatal factors that determine it is essential for optimizing gestational monitoring. Objective: To identify prenatal factors associated with birth weight in Peruvian pregnant women. Methods: A quantitative cross-sectional study was conducted based on a secondary analysis of data from the 2024 Peruvian Demographic and Family Health Survey (ENDES). A total of 6,812 pregnant women with available information on neonatal birth weight, as reported by the mother, were included; birth weight was analyzed as a continuous variable. Prenatal factors assessed included maternal immunization, type of health professional responsible for prenatal care, pregnancy planning, maternal perception of fetal growth, performance of prenatal examinations, presence of symptoms during pregnancy, and patterns of prenatal follow-up. Given that birth weight showed an approximately normal distribution and that the assumptions of linearity, homoscedasticity, and normality of residuals were reasonably met, associations were estimated using a multiple linear regression model. Additionally, bivariate correlations were explored using Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient and the point-biserial correlation as complementary non-parametric measures. Although the ENDES employs a complex sampling design (cluster-stratified with sampling weights), this exploratory analysis used unweighted data, which is acknowledged as a limitation. Analyses were performed in RStudio for macOS, with a statistical significance level set at p < 0.05. Results: The predictors significantly associated with birth weight were: prenatal care provided by a nurse (β = -49.63 g, p=0.02) and by a nursing technician (β = -104.12 g, p=0.01); the month of the first prenatal check-up (β = 13.89 g, p=0.00); the number of prenatal visits (β = 18.65 g per visit, p=0.00); the size of the newborn classified as large (β = 567.85 g, p=0.02), very large (β = 942.74 g, p=0.00), and very small (β = -715.54 g, p=0.00); as well as having a blood test during pregnancy (β = 110.99 g, p=0.03). Conclusions: The number of prenatal visits and early detection of fetal growth are key determinants of birth weight. Prenatal care by specialized professionals (doctors/obstetricians) was associated with better neonatal outcomes.

Instituciones: Universidad Nacional de Educación Enrique Guzmán y Valle