Nutritional Status of Low Birth Weight Infants Using Mounla's Method

Abstract

Introduction: Low birth weight infants remain a significant public health problem in many developing countries. Poor nutrition recognized as an important cause, which is associated with a short-term and long-term adverse consequences, carrying relatively greater risks of perinatal and neonatal morbidity and mortality.

Methods: The nutritional status was assessed prospectively on 170 LBWI in neonatology ward of Guangxi medical university, Nanning, China, from January 2007 to December 2008; with infant's birth weight, the most obvious day age of weight lost, the lowest weight percentage and the age recovering to birth weight. Mounla's method was based on the excess time expressed in percent beyond the allocated time for an infant to gain the birth weight and the excess drop in weight expressed in percent beyond the allowed drop of weight.

Results: There were61.8% male and 38.2% female with gestational age at the time of admission is 28 -37 (33.7+1.9) week; birth weight of 1180-2480 (19521316) gram. The most obvious day age of weight lost was 21-10 (3.7±1.4) days and the regain of the birth weight is 2-23 (7.8±3.8) days. The incidence of malnutrition was 52.9% based on Mounla's method.

Conclusion: Mounla's method used to assess nutritional status of LBWI provides certain reference for the clinical support in nutrition of the infants.