Parity and maternal education are associated with low birth weight in Malawi

Background: The consequences of low birth weight (LBW) include death and long-term health sequelae. Limited attention has been made towards the study of socio-demographic factors that may be associated with LBW in Malawi.
Objectives: To assess factors that may be associated with LBW.
Methods: We used secondary data on the 2006 Malawi Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS). Logistic regression analyses were conducted.
Results: A total of 26,259 females in the age group 15-49 years participated in the survey, and of these, 5024 had children who were reported to have been weighed at birth. Most (60.5%) of the respondents were in the 20-29 years age group. In multivariate analysis, the odds of LBW delivery were lower for women in higher wealth quintiles and those who had some education. Women who previously had a child were less likely to deliver a LBW baby.
Conclusion: The higher odds of delivering a LBW baby among women with no education, and lower wealth status may suggest that there is need to tailor pre-natal care based interventions on social status. This may involve creating education level-specific health messages.