Impact of COVID-19 lockdown on low birthweight in Soweto, South Africa

Background. Pregnant women were indirectly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic owing to heightened stress, fear of mother-to-child transmission of COVID-19 and the disruption of antenatal health services. Increased stress and lack of antenatal healthcare could result in an increase in adverse birth ou...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:South African medical journal 2023-10, Vol.113 (10), p.1432-41
Main Authors: Drysdale, R.E, Slemming, W, Momberg, D, Said-Mohamad, R, Richter, L.M
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Australia
Birth weight, Low
Child development
COVID-19
Epidemics
Health aspects
Infant
Infants (Premature)
Low birthweight
Pregnancy
Pregnant women
Prenatal influences
Risk factors
Social aspects
South Africa
Statistics
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Summary:Background. Pregnant women were indirectly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic owing to heightened stress, fear of mother-to-child transmission of COVID-19 and the disruption of antenatal health services. Increased stress and lack of antenatal healthcare could result in an increase in adverse birth outcomes such as preterm birth or low birthweight. Objectives. Using a case-control design, to compare the prevalence of low birthweight among infants born before and during the pandemic in Soweto, South Africa. Method. Infants born before the pandemic and national lockdown were included in the control group, while infants who were in utero and born during the pandemic were included in the case group. Only infants born [greater than or equal to] 37 weeks' gestation with no birth complications were included. Multivariable logistic regression was employed to determine whether the pandemic was associated with an increase in low birthweight. A birthweight
ISSN:0256-9574
2078-5135
DOI:10.7196/SAMJ.2023.v113i10.746