Association between deworming during pregnancy and low birth weight. A secondary analysis of Pakistan Demographic Health Survey 2017-18.

Abstract It is estimated that about 22% of all births in Pakistan are low birth weight (<2500g), representing approximately 198,000 births per year. One of the major causes of low birth weight is maternal anemia. In Pakistan approximately 52% of pregnant women are anemic and one of the most common cause of maternal anemia is soil-transmitted helminthic infection. Soil-transmitted helminthiasis is endemic in Pakistan carries the highest burden of infection in Eastern Mediterranean region. Despite the recommendations deworming the mother during pregnancy is not being commonly practiced in routine antenatal care. We hypothesized that there is an association between deworming during pregnancy and low birth weight. For this study, cross sectional analysis of secondary data from the latest Pakistan Demographic Health Survey (PDHS conducted in 2017-18 and released in 2019) was done. Total N=1403 mother and child were included, logistic regression was used to determine the association between deworming during pregnancy and low birth weight after adjusting for potential confounders. We found no statistically significant association [aOR 0.63, 95% CI (0.21-1.83)] between deworming during pregnancy and low birth weight. Moreover the mothers who belonged to higher socioeconomic status [aOR 0.41, 95% CI (0.22- .76)] and attained higher education [aOR 0.55, 95% CI (0.34- .87)] had reduced odds of having a new born with low birth weight compared to newborn of the women from low socioeconomic status and had no education, respectively. Further research is needed to explore effectiveness of deworming during pregnancy at population level.