Investigating the Changes in Anthropometric Indicators at Birth and the Factors Affecting Them in 6 Months Before and After the Beginning of the Covid-19 Pandemic: An Analytical Publisher



Hoseini KS¹ ; Lamiyan M¹ ; Shariat M² ; Sahebi L¹
Source: Payesh Published:2024

Abstract

Objective(s): Anthropometric indicators are considered to be the most important health indicators for evaluating the condition of newborns. In the epidemic of infectious diseases, including the Covid-19 pandemic, pregnant women and their fetuses are among the high-risk population. The present study was conducted with the aim of investigating the changes in the anthropometric indices of newborns at birth and the factors affecting it in 6 months before and 6 months after the beginning of the covid-19 pandemic. Methods: This analytical-comparative study before and after was conducted on the number of 30540 newborns in 6 months before the covid-19 pandemic and 5009 newborns in 6 months after the covid-19 pandemic. The information was obtained from the integrated system of the Ministry of Health. The data was analyzed in SPSS 22 software. Results: The average birth weight of newborns in two periods 6 months before and after the beginning of the covid-19 pandemic was 3140.94 (469.93) and 3198.04 (446.22) grams respectively, which means that the average weight of newborns increased and statistically, there was a significant difference (P<0.001). The average height of newborns increased from 49.72 (2.31) cm in 6 months before the beginning of covid-19 to 49.78 (2.19) in 6 months after it, which increased and did not show a significant difference (P=0.125). The difference in the head circumference of newborns in 6 months before the beginning of covid-19 was 34.36(1.40) cm compared to 6 months after was 34.49(1.38), showed an increase and it was significant (P<0.001). Multivariate analysis with linear test model showed that by controlling the effect of possible confounders, being in the period before or after the covid-19 pandemic has no effect on birth weight, height and head circumference. Conclusion: The findings of this study showed that the covid-19 pandemic and its possible complications on the health of the mother and the Newborn in a short period of 6 months compared to the previous period had no effect on the average anthropometric indices of newborns. © 2024, Iranian Institute for Health Sciences Research. All rights reserved.