The distribution of birth weights and their determinants in the Republic of Cyprus for the period of 1990-2002

VOGAZIANOS, Paris and Jindřich FIALA. The distribution of birth weights and their determinants in the Republic of Cyprus for the period of 1990-2002. Scripta Medica. 2005, vol. 78, No 1, p. 34-46.

Basic information

• Original name: The distribution of birth weights and their determinants in the Republic of Cyprus for the period of 1990-2002
• Name in Czech: Rozložení porodních hmotností a jejich determinanty v Kyperské republice za období 1990 - 2002
• Name (in English): The distribution of birth weights and their determinants in the Republic of Cyprus for the period of 1990-2002
• Authors: VOGAZIANOS, Paris and Jindřich FIALA.
• Edition: Scripta Medica, 2005.

Other information

• Type of outcome: Article in a journal
• Confidentiality degree: is not subject to a state or trade secret
• Organization unit: Faculty of Medicine
• Keywords in English: birth-weight; premature delivery; Cyprus; smoking; caesaeran sections
• Tags: birth-weight, caesaeran sections, Cyprus, premature delivery, Smoking

Abstract

Many factors including maternal, pregnancy-specific, physiological, genetic, pathological and environmental can influence foetal weight. Although these have been well studied in most EU countries, no such studies are specifically available on Cyprus. This study was based on the raw data, concerning births and birth-weights for the period 1990 2002, which we managed to obtain from the database of the Centre for Preventive Paediatrics, a non-governmental foundation in Cyprus. This first ever study on the distribution of birth-weights in the Republic of Cyprus shows a downward trend in the birth-weights in the early 1990s (from the mean 3238 grams in 1991 to 3152 in 2002). The study also confirmed the significant weight decrements for babies born prematurely, as a result of multifoetal pregnancies or to smoking mothers (mean decrement of 886 grams in the period 1990-98 and 821 grams in the period 1998-2002). Most importantly, this study shows a significant increase in the proportion of caesarean sections, which in 2002 reached almost four times the maximum number of caesarean sections recommended by the WHO (increase from 18% in 1990 to 39 % in 2002). Furthermore, babies born by caesarean section were found to be significantly lighter than those born by natural delivery (by mean 147 grams for 1990-1996 and 212 grams for 1998-2002). An indirect result of this study also suggests that the overall proportion of Cypriot women, who smoke, as reflected by the pregnant women, is much higher than previously thought. This study highlights the need for further investigations into these determinants of birth-weight in the Cypriot population.

Abstract (in Czech)

Mnoho faktor, vetn mateských, thotensky-specifických, fyziologických, genetických, patologických a faktor zevního prostedí mže ovlivovat hmotnost plodu. Akoliv tyto faktory byly dobe zkoumány ve vtšin zemí Evropského spoleenství, nejsou dostupné žádné takové studie týkající se specificky Kypru. Tato studie byla založena na hrubých datech, týkajících se porod a porodních hmotností za období 1990-2002, které se podailo získat z databáze Centra pro preventivní pediatrii, nevládní nadace na Kypru. Tato vbec první studie rozložení porodních hmotností v Kyperské republice ukazuje sestupný trend porodních hmotností v asných devadesátých letech (z prmru 3238 gram v roce 1991 na 3152 v roce 2002). Studie rovnž potvrdila významný váhový deficit u dtí narozených pedasn, jako dsledek víceetných thotenství nebo kouení matek (prmrný deficit 886 gram pro období 1990-98 a 821 gram pro období 1998-2002). Nejzávažnjším nálezem je významné zvýšení podílu porod císaským ezem, které v roce 2002 dosáhly tém tynásobku maxima doporueného WHO (zvýšení z 18% v roce 1990 na 39% v roce 2002). Dále bylo zjištno, že dti narozené císaským ezem mly významn nižší hmotnost oproti dtem narozených pirozenou cestou (v prmru o 147 gram za období 1990-1996 a 212 gram pro období 1998-2002) . Nepímý výsledek této studie rovnž svdí o tom, že celkový podíl kyperských kouících žen, jak se odráží mezi thotnými, je mnohem vyšší, než se díve pedpokládalo. Studie poukazuje na potebu dalšího zkoumání determinant porodní hmotnosti u kyperské populace.

Abstract (in English)

Many factors including maternal, pregnancy-specific, physiological, genetic, pathological and environmental can influence foetal weight. Although these have been well studied in most EU countries, no such studies are specifically available on Cyprus. This study was based on the raw data, concerning births and birth-weights for the period 1990 2002, which we managed to obtain from the database of the Centre for Preventive Paediatrics, a non-governmental foundation in Cyprus. This first ever study on the distribution of birth-weights in the Republic of Cyprus shows a downward trend in the birth-weights in the early 1990s (from the mean 3238 grams in 1991 to 3152 in 2002). The study also confirmed the significant weight decrements for babies born prematurely, as a result of multifoetal pregnancies or to smoking mothers (mean decrement of 886 grams in the period 1990-98 and 821 grams in the period 1998-2002). Most importantly, this study shows a significant increase in the proportion of caesarean sections, which in 2002 reached almost four times the maximum number of caesarean sections recommended by the WHO (increase from 18% in 1990 to 39 % in 2002). Furthermore, babies born by caesarean section were found to be significantly lighter than those born by natural delivery (by mean 147 grams for 1990-1996 and 212 grams for 1998-2002). An indirect result of this study also suggests that the overall proportion of Cypriot women, who smoke, as reflected by the pregnant women, is much higher than previously thought. This study highlights the need for further investigations into these determinants of birth-weight in the Cypriot population.