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Declining fetal growth standards in Enugu, Nigeria
Author(s) -
Onah H.E
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
international journal of gynecology and obstetrics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.895
H-Index - 97
eISSN - 1879-3479
pISSN - 0020-7292
DOI - 10.1016/s0020-7292(99)00212-x
Subject(s) - medicine , birth weight , parity (physics) , obstetrics , gestational age , low birth weight , fetus , fetal weight , singleton , pregnancy , demography , pediatrics , genetics , physics , particle physics , biology , sociology
Objective: To compare the birth‐weights of babies born before and after the introduction of the Structural Adjustment Program in Nigeria. Methods: A retrospective analysis of the birth‐weights of all singleton live births at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital Enugu, Eastern Nigeria, in 1984 and 1998. Results: The babies were on average 183 g lighter in 1998 than in 1984. The mean birth‐weight for each gestational age, parity and fetal sex was significantly lower in 1998 than in 1984. The incidences of low birth‐weight, intrauterine growth retardation and preterm delivery were significantly higher in 1998 than in 1984. The above findings were associated with a significant reduction in the mean gestational age, parity and utilization of the hospital's maternity services, probably consequences of an adverse socio‐economic environment. Conclusion: Reversing the declining growth standards of Nigerian fetuses would entail improving the socio‐economic status of Nigerian women as well as the quality of maternity care.