Regular antenatal care visits were associated with low risk of low birth weight among newborns in Rwanda: Evidence from the 2014/2015 Rwanda Demographic Health Survey (RDHS) Data.

Background:  Low birth weight (LBW) remains the global unfinished agenda in most countries of the world especially in low- and middle-income countries. LBW subsequently has harmful effects on the lifestyle, psychosocial and physiological development of the child. Although it is known that antenatal care (ANC) visits are important interventions contributing to prediction of newborn birth weight, little has been conducted on effect of ANC visits on birth weight in Rwanda. This study aimed at determining the association between regular ANC visits and risk of LBW among newborns in Rwanda. Methods:  A cross-sectional study design was conducted to analyse the effects of ANC on LBW using the 2014/2015 Rwanda Demographic Health Survey. Associations of socio-demographic, socio-economic, and individual factors of the mother with LBW newborns were performed using bivariate and multiple logistic regression analyses. Results : Prevalence s of LBW and macrosomia were 5.8% and 17.6%, respectively. Newborns delivered from mothers attending fewer than four ANC visits were at almost three-times greater risk of having LBW [aOR=2.8; 95%CI (1.5-5.4), p=0.002] compared to those whose mothers attending four or more ANC visits. Residing in a rural area for pregnant women was significantly associated with LBW [aOR=1.1; 95%CI (0.7-1.6), p=0.008]. Maternal characteristics, such as anemia, predicted an increase in LBW [aOR=3.5; 95%CI (1.5-5.4), p<0.001]. Those who received no nutritional counseling [aOR=2.5; 95%CI (2-8.5), p<0.001] and who were not told about maternal complications [aOR=3.3; 95%CI (1.5-6.6), p=0.003] were more prone to deliver newborns with LBW than those who received them. Pregnant women who received iron and folic acid were less likely to have LBW newborns [aOR=0.5; 95%CI (0.3-0.9), p=0.015]. Conclusion : ANC visits significantly contributed to reducing the incidence of LBW. This study underscores the need for early, comprehensive, and high-quality ANC services to prevent LBW in Rwanda.