EFFECT OF MATERNAL SOCIOECONOMIC CONDITIONS ON MATERNAL HEALTH INDICATORS AND NEONATAL PARAMETERS IN PAKISTAN

Infant mortality rate is a serious issue worldwide. Pakistan being a developing country comprises of diverse socioeconomic classes. Various studies have suggested some association of maternal anthropometric parameters with neonatal outcomes. The aim behind this research is to determine the impact of socioeconomic conditions on maternal health indicators and neonatal parameters in the population of Pakistan. This study included 90 pregnant females belonging to different socioeconomic conditions and were grouped according to their socioeconomic classes. Data was collected from the case histories of participants admitted in different hospitals of Karachi. The data of maternal and neonatal parameters was assessed statistically and their associations with the socioeconomic conditions were assessed. Maternal hemoglobin and maternal gravidity have shown a strong association with socioeconomic conditions with high significance (p < 0.05). However, neonatal parameters have shown diverse results among the three classes. Neonatal gestational age was found to be significant in comparison between upper versus lower (p = 0.001) and upper versus middle classes (p = 0.006), but it was insignificant in case of middle versus lower class (p = 0.88). Likewise, neonatal birth weight is significant between upper versus lower (p = 0.001) and upper versus middle classes (p = 0.019), but it was insignificant in case of middle versus lower class (p = 0.258). Neonatal apgar score is found to be significant in upper versus lower (p = 0.001) and middle versus lower classes (p = 0.001) and insignificant between middle and lower class (p = 0.125). This study concludes that socioeconomic factors play a vital role in determining the maternal health characteristics which in turn affects the neonatal outcomes. It is therefore recommended that antenatal care should be provided to all pregnant females. The whole community should work hand in hand to establish good health care centers, create awareness among the population and play a role in resolving the various social and financial issues