High birth weight in a hospital in a reference maternity in Douala: Clinical cut-off value, prevalence, predictors and early materno-foetal outcomes.

CaHReF 2016, Yaoundé Conges hall, 23 – 26 August 2016 , PL011

Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Buea

High birth weight (HBW) which is any birth weight found above the 90th percentile of weight for that gestation is conventionally set at ≥4000g. Despite the need for region-specific clinical cut-off values for HBW; most urban areas of Cameroon do not have established cut-off values to guide health care providers in clinical scenarios.

We aimed to determine the clinical cut-off value, the prevalence, predictors and the early maternal and neonatal outcomes of HBW babies born in l'Hôpital Saint Albert LeGrand de Douala (HSAGD) and Douala Laquintinie Hospital (DLH).

We conducted a study in 2 phases: a 6-year retrospective phase (from January 2010 to December 2015) during which data were collected from the birth records at the obstetric unit of HSAGD and a 3-month prospective phase (1stJanuary 2016 – 15thMarch 2016) during which information was obtained from consenting pregnant women using an informed questionnaire in HSAGD and DLH.

8056 records were assessed in the retrospective phase and the 90th percentile for birth weights was 3750g corresponding to our definition of HBW. In the prospective phase, 448 pregnant women-newborn pairs were included yielding a HBW prevalence of 11.8% using the above cut-off which was significantly different from the prevalence of 4.7% obtained using the traditional cut-off value (p<0.01). Independent predictors of HBW were male gender (p=0.03), gestational age at birth ≥42weeks (p<0.01) and gestational weight gain ≥15kg (p=0.05). Mothers of HBW neonates underwent more caesarean sections (p<0.01).

Newborns ≥3750g at birth have HBW, representing more than one tenth of babies born in this urban area. This value should be adopted as the cut-off for HBW in this urban area for clinical use, so as to allow specific care to mothers and their babies. The predictors of HBW should be investigated in order to reduce complications of HBW.

High birth weight; Cut-off value; Prevalence; Predictors; Outcome; Douala, Cameroon