LOW BIRTH WEIGHT AMONG SINGLE MOTHERS IN INDONESIA: WHAT'S THE MATTER?

Abstract

The characteristics of pregnant women can be risk factors for low birth weight. Single pregnant women, in particular, bear a double burden. They have to earn a living and take care of their pregnancies at the same time. The present study aimed to analyze factors related to low birth weight (LBW) among single mothers in Indonesia. This study used secondary data from the 2017 Indonesia Demographic and Health Survey (IDHS), a subset of live births and birth weight records. Residence, age, marital status, education, employment, parity, and wealth status were independent variables in the survey. The analysis in this study used binary logistic regression in the final step. A total of 561 participants who were single mothers in Indonesia were included in the analysis. Of these participants, 57 (10.8%) were single women who gave birth to LBW babies. The results showed that low birth weight among single mothers tended to be higher in urban areas adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 1.426; 95% CI: 1.425-1.427; p<0.001), single women who were never been married (aOR = 0.427; 95% CI: 0.426-0.427; p<0.001), and unemployed single women (aOR = 1.044; 95% CI 1.044-1.045; p<0.001). The study also found age, education, and wealth status to be predictors of the incidence of LBW among single women. Finally, primiparous women were 0.342 times as likely as multiparous women to have LBW babies. The study concluded that single mothers who lived in urban areas, aged 20-34 years old, had never been married, had secondary education, was unemployed, had borne more than one child (multiparous), and be the poorest were proven to be at risk for LBW in Indonesia.