Abstract

ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND:
All health personnel working in child health care should be familiar with normal patterns of growth, so
that they can recognize any deviations from the normal range and try to deal with the underlying
disorders which could be nutritional, socio economic or infectious diseases.
OBJECTIVES:
I undertook this study to find some anthropometric measurements like length, weight and
occipitofrontal circumference of normal healthy Iraqi neonates at birth which can be used in future to
draw an Iraqi growth chart.
METHODS:
The Study carried out from 1st of May 2005 to30th of April 2006 at Fatema AL-Zahra Teaching
Hospital. The study was performed on 1001 live born neonates with gestational age (37-42 week) were
all born in Fatema AL-Zahra teaching hospital in Baghdad. Babies of mothers with risk factors
(gestational hypertension, gestational diabetes mellitus, cigarette smoking and multiple gestation
,number of party more than 5,mother age less than 17 years, or more than 35 years, mother body
weight less than 45kilogram(kg) or more than 90 kg, mother height less than 150 centimeter(cm)),
premature, and malformed babies were all excluded. The study was performed by measuring the
length, weight and (&) occipitofrontal circumference (OFC ) of these babies.
RESULTS:
The Results showed that the mean length at birth(male & female) was 50.888 (+/- 1.1004) cm ,(male ;
female was51 cm(+/- 1.055) ; 50.72 cm (+/_0.953)). The mean OFC(male & female) was 34.678(+/-
1.189) cm ( male ;female ,34.719(+/- 1.1305) cm ; 34.621(+/-1.074)cm ) .The mean birth weight (male
& female) was 3.291 (+/-0.346)kg (male ; female was 3.30(+/-0.356) kg ; 3.28(+/-0.336)kg ).
CONCLUSION:
The study concluded that the mean length at birth(male & female) was 50.888 (+/- 1.1004) , The mean
OFC(male & female) was 34.678(+/-1.189) cm . .The mean birth weight (male & female) was
3.291(+/-0.346) kg.