FACTORES ASOCIADOS AL BAJO PESO AL NACER Y EVOLUCIÓN NUTRICIONAL EN NEONATOS ATENDIDOS EN EL HOSPITAL RODRÍGUEZ ZAMBRANO, MANTA.

Abstract

Low birth weight is a strong predictor of infant mortality, growth and survival. Newborns born with low birth weight begin an immediately disadvantaged life and low survival rates. It is hoped that the results of this study will contribute to inform health authorities about the risk factors of LBW in order to establish programs to reduce the prevalence of LBW in the municipality of Manta, as well as serve as a base for other researchers who carry out similar studies related to this field. In the present study we studied the births with low weight, corresponding to the year 2016, in the Dr. Rafael Rodríguez Zambrano Hospital, which is located in the city of Manta, where 161 children with a confirmed diagnosis of low birth weight were born, who represented the 6% of the neonates born alive in that year. In conclusion, the neonates who were fed with breast milk survived and those who did not consume breast milk, for different reasons, died. The best diet for a low birth weight baby is breast milk. The study determined that the initial weight taken at the first hour of birth and the final weight of hospital discharge are statistically equal. (p = 0.801) and that urinary tract infections are one of the most critical factors that cause low birth weight in a newborn.