The normal anthropometric measurements for healthy full term newborns in Hilla city Iraq

Abstract EN

Objective: To establish the normal anthropometric measurements (weight, length, occipto frontal circumference, chest circumference, mid arm circumference and mid thigh circumference) for appropriately grown full term newborns in Hilla city- Babil-Iraq.

Methods: A descriptive, observational study was carried out enrolling 2051 singleton neonates who were delivered in Babylon gynecology and children teaching hospital during the period from 1st April to 25th of October 2009.

The data and measurements were done on the first day of life with exclusion of newborns of mothers with high risk, complicated pregnancies, complicated labor and prematurity.

The included measurements were weight, length, occipto frontal circumference, chest circumference, mid-arm circumference and mid-thigh circumference.

The studied variables were gender, residence, parity, mode of delivery, ante natal care and socioeconomic state.

The data analyzed by SPSS (version 15) program for mean, standard deviation, range, p-value and correlation coefficient.

Results: Males had a significantly higher occipto frontal circumference and chest circumference than females while females had a significantly higher midarm circumference than males with no significant difference in weight, length and mid-thigh circumference.

A significantly higher weight, chest circumference and mid-thigh circumference in urban than rural neonates with no significant difference in length, occipto frontal circumference and mid-arm circumference.

A higher occipto frontal circumference, chest circumference and mid-thigh circumference in neonates of primipara mothers but higher length and mid-arm circumference in neonates of multipara mothers with no significant difference in weight.

A significantly higher weight and occipto frontal circumference in neonates of mothers with regular ante natal care than neonates of mothers with irregular antenatal care.

A higher length, mid-thigh circumference and chest circumference in neonates of mothers from high socioeconomic status group than neonates of those from other socioeconomic state groups.

Conclusions: This study establishes local normal values for anthropometric measurements (weight, length, occipto frontal circumference, chest circumference, mid-arm circumference and mid-thigh circumference) for healthy, full term newborn in Hilla city.

A significant degree of correlation between all the studied measurements (except occipto frontal circumference which correlated with weight and midarm circumference only) and the best correlation between weight-mid-thigh circumference followed by mid-arm circumference and chest circumference.