Birthweight and gestation of village deliveries in Papua New Guinea

Summary: This study investigates the birthweight, gestational age, and body proportions of home births in a malarious area of Papua New Guinea. A population based cohort of pregnant women was followed longitudinally through pregnancy. Within the first few days of birth anthropometric measures were taken and a gestational age assessment made. Of the 121 live singleton infants, forty per cent were low birthweight and the preterm rate was 4 per cent. Infants appeared to be proportionally growth retarded. Low birthweight was associated with short maternal stature, and preterm delivery with maternal illness. Mean birthweight derived from hospital statistics of babies born to women from the same area was higher than the mean derived from this population based study.