Author : Lisa Trina Arlym, Endang L. Achadi, Dwiana Ocviyanti,

Abstract : Globally, low birth weight (LBW) is still being a maternal public health problem. LBW is caused by various factors, which affect shorter gestation period, fetal growth restriction or both. Adequate frequency and quality of antenatal care (ANC) visits are recommended to identify problem as early as possible and to monitor the health of the mother and baby. ANC has been proofed as determinant to reduce the incidence of LBW. This study aims to identify whether adequate frequency and quality of ANC visits decrease the incidence of LBW in developing countries. The research was using systematic literature review which performed according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. All references are managed using Mendeley software, then found 14 selected articles that meet the inclusion criteria and have high quality assessed by using critical appraisal tool from Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine (CEBM). The studies showed there were significant association between adequate frequency of ANC visits with the incidence of LBW. Other factors associated with LBW were socio-demographic factors and maternal factors. Frequency of ANC at least 4 times during pregnancy can still give positive effect towards low birthweight risk, however, it should be a quality service of ANC. Keywords— LBW, ANC, antenatal care, pregnancy, pregnant women

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