Author(s)

Asmamaw Eshete, Dereje Birhanu, Belaynew Wassie

Amhara Health Bureau, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia.
Department of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Science, Bahir Dar University, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia.
Research & Training Institute, John Snow Inc. (JSI), Bahir Dar, Ethiopia.

Background: Poor birth outcomes are common health problems everywhere in the world. Hence institutional delivery in Ethiopia is very low, improving birth outcomes through recent evidence remained critical. The objective of the study was to determine the prevalence of poor birth outcomes and associated factors among women who delivered in selected health facilities of North Wollo Zone. Methods: A facility based cross-sectional survey was conducted on 295 laboring mothers from May to June 2009. Interviewer administered questionnaire was used to collect the data. Patient’s chart was reviewed to retrieve medical information. Anthropometry of the neonate was taken by standard measurement tools. Data were analyzed using statistical package for social sciences (SPSS), version 15. Binary logistic regression analyses were used to identify predictors of poor birth outcomes. P-value ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: All the data resulted from 295 laboring mothers were made part of the analyses. A total of 266 (90.2%) laboring mothers gave live birth. A quarter, 68 (23.1%) of the laboring mothers had a poor birth outcome. The common adverse outcomes were intrauterine fetal death (IUFD, preterm, and birth defects with the proportion of 29 (42.6%), 22 (32.4%), and 3 (4.4%), respectively). Mother whose husband’s occupation was merchant (AOR = 4.4, 95% CI: 1.0-19.0), driver (AOR = 4.2, 95% CI: 1.12-15.76), & women who were illiterate (AOR = 4.0, 95% CI: 1.2-13.5), primary school completed (AOR = 4.3, 95% CI: 1.3-13.8), non-antenatal care visited (AOR = 3.4, 95% CI: 1.12-10.2), rural residence, (AOR = 2.6, 95% CI: 1.11-5.80), & mother’s HIV status, (AOR = 34.2, 95% CL 5.6, 207.0) were independent predictors of poor birth outcomes. Conclusions: Poor birth outcomes were very common in the study area where low birth weight accounted for much of all adverse pregnancy outcomes. Occupation, residence, antenatal care visit, income, maternal education and HIV status were determinants of poor birth outcomes. Accessing antenatal care in early trimester, mild physical work, maternal education to secondary level and above should be encouraged.

Birth Outcome; Low Birth Weight; Laboring Mother; North Wollo; Ethiopia

Eshete, A. , Birhanu, D. and Wassie, B. (2013) Birth outcomes among laboring mothers in selected health facilities of North Wollo Zone, Northeast Ethiopia: A facility based cross-sectional study. Health, 5, 1141-1150. doi: 10.4236/health.2013.57154.