Exploring the Paternal Socio-economic Factors Associated with Low Birth Weight: Evidence from A Country Data

Abstract

This research explored the paternal factors associated with low birth weight (LBW). The study's sample size (n = 7461) was derived from the Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey (PDHS) data collected in 2012-2013. The documented socio-economic factors pertained to the mothers who had delivered their last child within the past five years and participated in PDHS. In PDHS, 19.9% of the fathers were found to have infants with LBW. We employed a multivariate logistic regression analysis in SPSS to analyze the data. The findings showed that the risk of LBW was greater among fathers residing in small cities (aOR 1.39; 95% CI 1.14-1.71) and rural areas (aOR 1.79; 95% CI 1.51-2.13). The risk of SSB was higher for those fathers who had education up to the primary level (aOR 1.34; 95% 1.09, 1.64). Similarly, the risk of SSB was higher among unemployed fathers (aOR 1.20; 95% CI 1.00-1.44) as compared to the skilled ones. Additionally, the risk of LBW babies is higher in poor fathers (aOR 1.86; 95% -1.60-2.16) compared to the richer ones. However, the father’s age is not associated with LBW. Based on the results, practical recommendations are proposed.