Relationship of sociodemographic factors and low birth weight in toddlers

Abstract Objective This study analyzes the relationship between sociodemographic factors and low birth weight (LBW) in toddlers. Methods The research design uses a correlational method. The population is 303 mothers with toddlers aged 12–60 months in Lojejer Wuluhan Jember Village, East Java, Indonesia. The cluster sampling took 172 samples in total. The sociodemographic variables measured included the father’s and the mother’s age, the father’s and mother’s education, family income, the father’s occupation, the mother’s occupation, and the child’s gender. Data collection techniques used questionnaires and document studies in the Maternal Child Health (MCH) handbook. Data were analyzed using logistic regression. Results The results showed that the variable age of the father and mother ≥20 years was a protective factor for the incidence of LBW. Family income <IDR 3,000,000 per month, fathers with farm workers and fishermen as occupation, male sex, and low father’s education were predictor factors for LBW. Conclusions This study concluded that the variable sociodemographic factors related to LBW in toddlers in Lojejer Wuluhan Village, Jember district, East Java Province, Indonesia. Therefore, the government needs to establish stricter policies in terms of maturing the age of marriage to reduce the incidence of LBW.