6295 Prevalence and pregnancy-related outcomes of small for gestational age newborns delivered at chris hani baragwanath academic hospital, 2020–2021

Abstract

<h3>Objectives</h3> Small for gestational age (SGA) newborns refers to newborns whose birth weight are less than the 10th percentile for gestational age and gender for a specific population.¹ SGA newborns are not only at risk of perinatal morbidity and mortality, but also have potential for morbidity later in life.² There is lack of literature on the prevalence, and perinatal outcomes associated with SGA newborns in South Africa. <h3>Methods</h3> The study was a hospital-based retrospective, descriptive study done at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital (CHBAH) in Johannesburg, from 1 October 2020 to 31 March 2021. All SGA newborns identified from the birth registers were included in the study. The prevalence of SGA was calculated as the number of SGA newborns per total number of newborns within the study period. Frequencies with percentages, median with interquartile ranges, and Box and Whisker plots were used for data analysis. <h3>Results</h3> There were total of 7837 births recorded at CHBAH from 1 October 2020 to 31 March 2021, out of which 834 were small for gestational age (SGA). Therefore, the prevalence of SGA from this study is 10.6%. Using non-probability sampling technique, 291 out of the 834 SGA newborns were included in the analysis. Among the mothers who delivered the SGA newborns, 77.7% were single and 71.5% unemployed. Overweight and obese mothers were 32.65% and 38.8% respectively. One-third of the mothers were multiparous (67.7%), anemia was recorded in 38.8% of mothers, and 52.5% developed preeclampsia during pregnancy. Among SGA babies, majority were male (56.0%) and about half of the SGA population were low birth weight (Babies weighing &lt;2500g at birth) (50.2%) (table 1). <h3>Conclusion</h3> SGA newborns are highly prevalent in South Africa. Most of the SGA babies are low birth weight, and frequently require admission to NICU/nursery. <h3>References</h3> Leon-Martinez D, Lundsberg LS, Culhane J, Zhang J, Son M, Reddy UM. Fetal growth restriction and small-for-gestational-age as predictors of neonatal morbidity: which growth nomogram to use? <i>American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology</i> 2023 Jun 20. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajog.2023.06.035. Paudel PG, Sunny AK, Gurung R, Gurung A, Malla H, Budhathoki SS, <i>et al</i>. Prevalence, risk factors and consequences of newborns born small for gestational age: a multisite study in Nepal. <i>BMJ paediatrics open</i> 2020;<b>4</b>(1). doi:10.1136/bmjpo-2019-000607 2020.