Author(s)

Henri Essome^1,2*, Charlotte Epossè Ekoube³, Fulbert Mangala Nkwele¹, Rita Carole Mbono Betoko¹, Irène Cyrielle Edjoa Mboe¹, Michel Roger Ekono¹, Alphonse Ngalame Nyong⁴, Robert Tchounzou⁴, Ingrid Doriane Ofakem Ilick², Hassanatou Iyawa³, Moustapha Bilkissou¹, Astrid Ndolo Kondo¹, Junie Ngaha Yaneu¹, Marga Vanina Ngono Akam¹, Gervais Mounchikpou Ngouhouo¹, Grâce Tocki Toutou⁵, Nelly Noubi⁶, Valère Mve Koh⁶, Théophile Nana Njamen⁴

¹Training, Teaching and Research Unit in Gynecology Obstetrics and Reproduction, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Douala, Douala, Cameroon.
²Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Laquintinie Hospital, Douala, Cameroon.
³Department of Pediatrics, Laquintinie Hospital, Douala, Cameroon.
⁴Faculty of Health Sciences of Buea, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon.
⁵Pluridisciplinary Department, Laquintinie Hospital, Douala, Cameroon.
⁶Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaounde 1, Yaounde, Cameroon.

Introduction: Anthropometry applied to newborns is a reliable indicator of the quality of fetal growth. The latter is influenced by genetic, racial and nutritional factors varying from one population to another, explaining why a standard cannot be applied to all populations. Research question: should the Caucasian frame of reference be dogmatically applied in our African context? Multicenter studies are therefore necessary; hence the interest of this work, the main objective of which was to describe the anthropometric profile of full-term newborns in the city of Douala. Methodology: We carried out a cross-sectional study with an analytical aim and prospective data collection in the maternity wards of the Douala General Hospital, Laquintinie Hospital, District hospitals of Deido, Nylon and Bonassama over a period of 4 months (January to April 2020). We were interested in any newborn, born alive, vaginally or by cesarean section, seen in the first 24 hours from a full-term single-fetal pregnancy whose mother had given consent. We excluded newborns whose term was unclear and those with congenital malformations or signs of embryo-foetopathy. Data collection was done using structured and pre-tested survey sheets. The study variables were obstetric and anthropometric. Statistical analyzes were carried out with CS Pro 7.3 and SPSS version 25.0 software. The Student, Chi-square and Fischer tests were used to compare the means of the variables, the percentages with a significance threshold P value < 0.05. Results: During the study period, 305 full-term newborns were included, divided into 172 boys and 133 girls. The average anthropometric parameters of the full-term newborn in the city of Douala were: average weight: 3305 grams, average height: 49.8 centimeters, average head circumference: 34.6 centimeters, average upper arm circumference: 11.3 centimeters, circumference average thoracic: 32.8 centimeters. The percentile distribution showed a 10th percentile at 2656 grams and a 90th percentile at 3966 grams for weight defining the limits for small-for-gestational-age neonates and macrosomes. Conclusion: The anthropometric data of the full-term newborn in the city of Douala were: an average weight of 3305.4 grams, an average height of 49.8 centimeters, an average head circumference of 34.2 centimeters, an average upper arm circumference of 11.3 centimeters, and an average thoracic circumference of 32.8 centimeters with higher valuesin male newborns.

Anthropometry, Full-Term Newborn, Douala

Essome, H. , Ekoube, C. , Nkwele, F. , Betoko, R. , Mboe, I. , Ekono, M. , Nyong, A. , Tchounzou, R. , Ilick, I. , Iyawa, H. , Bilkissou, M. , Kondo, A. , Yaneu, J. , Akam, M. , Ngouhouo, G. , Toutou, G. , Noubi, N. , Koh, V. and Njamen, T. (2024) Draft of an Anthropometric Reference System for Full-Term Cameroonian Newborns: Prospective Study with Analytical Aim in the Maternity Wards of Douala. Open Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 14, 435-450. doi: 10.4236/ojog.2024.143038.