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Asia-Pacific Journal of Public Health
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Weight-for-Height as a Measure of Nutritional Status in Filipino Pregnant Women

JA Magbitang, MSPH (Nutrition)

Biomedical Nutrition Division, Food and Nutrition Institute. Pedro Gil Street, Ermita, Manila, Philippines.

JBM Tangco, BSFN

Biomedical Nutrition Division, Food and Nutrition Institute. Pedro Gil Street, Ermita, Manila, Philippines.

EO de laCruz, BSFN

Biomedical Nutrition Division, Food and Nutrition Institute. Pedro Gil Street, Ermita, Manila, Philippines.

EG Flores, MD, MPH

Biomedical Nutrition Division, Food and Nutrition Institute. Pedro Gil Street, Ermita, Manila, Philippines.

FE Guanlao, BS. FGMN

Biomedical Nutrition Division, Food and Nutrition Institute. Pedro Gil Street, Ermita, Manila, Philippines.

A weight-for-height table by week of pregnancy for Filipinos was developed and its potential use in identifying mothers at risk of delivering low birth-weight babies was tested. The table derived from the weight-for-height table for adult Filipinos developed by de Leon et al assumed the following: 1). Average increase in weight during pregnancy is 20% of pre-pregnant weight, with an increase of 1.7% of pre-pregnant weight in the first trimester of pregnancy and the remaining 18.3% increase achieved during the second and third trimesters. 2). The pre-pregnant weight of the subject equals the standard reference for her height. The derived table was subsequently tested on existing data on 158 urban and rural pregnant women sampled by Magbitang et al2and Baltazar et al.3Results showed that pregnant women whose weight at first visit was below 95% of the proposed standard had twice as much risk of delivering low birthweight babies than those whose weights were greater than or equal to 95% of the proposed standard. The table can be used by barangay level workers as a risk indicator for screening mothers at risk of delivering low birthweight babies so that appropriate and timely preventive measures can be taken.

Key Words: Filipinos • Low birthweight babies • Maternal nutrition • Weight-for-helght table.

Asia-Pacific Journal of Public Health, Vol. 2, No. 2, 96-104 (1988)
DOI: 10.1177/101053958800200204
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