Prevalence and determinants of adverse birth outcomes in middle-income level communities in the northern part of Bangladesh: A hospital-based Cross-sectional study.

Abstract

Background: Adverse birth outcomes are still a major problem in low- and middle-income countries and Bangladesh has no distinction, particularly in its northern areas. These adverse effects include low birth weight, premature births, stillbirths, and neonatal death, among other problems. Those findings are greatly influenced by variables such as the mother's age, level of education attained, socioeconomic status, availability of healthcare resources, the sufficiency of nutrition, and the number of ANC visits that are directly involved in occurring preterm birth And low birth weight. Therefore, this study aims to find the prevalence and determinants of adverse birth outcomes in middle-income level communities in the northern part of Bangladesh: A hospital-based Cross-sectional study.

Methodology: Employing a questionnaire with a semi-structured format, a cross-sectional study using a quantitative research design was carried out. A total of 332 individuals who gave birth within seven days of each other were chosen for the research using cluster or area randomization. In advance of data collection, pretesting of the questionnaires was conducted among five volunteers to assess the questionnaires' accuracy and prepare them for piloting. Also, agreement papers were provided to the participants and discussed in detail before the surveys started. A written or verbal agreement was obtained depending on the participant's comfort level. In addition, the research participants were granted the full freedom to leave at any time while data was being collected. Following data collection, they were input into SPSS software and examined for coherence and errors. Using SPSS software, the collected information was analysed to determine the connection. Result: The research investigated socio-demographic information, ANC services, child information and health seeking behaviour knowledge. Maternal education, ethnicity, ANC attendance, and pregnancy problems were among the factors that influenced the variation in birth outcomes. Based on this study, 84.3% of women were from non-indigenous and 15.7% of women were from indigenous and 21.4% cases were LBW and 13.6% cases were PTB. It also concluded

that the prevalence of LBT & PTB is higher in indigenous groups in comparison to non- indigenous groups (p<0.05). Moreover, based on this study finding, there were few factors

which were contributing towards LBW & PTB which are- by depending on the improving

5

mothers education the LBW & PTB were decreased, by the ANC visit the mother who took recommended ANC they are less vulnerable towards LBW & PTB and lastly the mother with pregnancy complications had more chance of LBW & PTB. For improved mother and child health outcomes, the findings highlight the importance of addressing socio demographic gaps and expanding access to high-quality prenatal and postnatal care.

Conclusion: In this study, the frequency and contributing variables of PTB and LBW were examined in Bogura, a region where LBW is more common than in non-indigenous populations. Factors influencing LBW & PTB were found to include household income, ethnicity, education level, and the frequency of ANC visits. Additionally, a reduction in the prevalence of LBW and PTB was linked to mothers' improved education and increased utilisation of ANC services. Furthermore, because of societal remorse, indigenous populations had greater pregnancy issues than non-indigenous populations.