Association between maternal antenatal care visits and newborn low birth weight in Bangladesh: a national representative survey

Background:  Low Birth Weight (LBW) is a global health concern for childhood mortality and morbidity. The objectives of this study were to assess the association between the number of Antenatal Care Visits (ANC) and LBW among Bangladeshi newborns, and to identify the demographic and socio-economic predictors of LBW.   Methods: :  Our present cross-sectional study is based on the secondary data of the Bangladesh Demography and Health Survey (BDHS) 2014. Complete data of 4,235 (weighted) mother-child pairs were included in the analysis.   Results: :  The overall prevalence of LBW among newborns were found to be 19.3% (95% CI: 17.8-20.9). Among the mothers who received antenatal care services 1-3 times during pregnancy, 35% had less possibility of having LBW babies [COR = 0.65, 95% CI: 0.50-0.85]. The association remained significant after adjusting the analysis with the sex of the newborn, administrative regions (division), maternal educational status, mother’s weight status and fathers’ occupation [AOR = 0.74, 95% CI: 0.55-0.99]. Additionally, the sex of the newborn, division, maternal education, maternal weight status, and fathers’ occupational status were found to be significantly associated with LBW.   Conclusion:  Increasing the coverage of antenatal services and enabling mothers to receive quality antenatal services may substantially contribute to reducing the prevalence of LBW in Bangladesh.