Biostatistics

Homework #1 (Low Birth Weight)

Definition
Percentage of live born infants with birth weight less than 2500g. Low birth weight may be subdivided into very low birth weight (less than 1500g) and extremely low birth weight (less than 1000g). Live birth refers to the complete expulsion or extraction from its mother of a product of conception, irrespective of the duration of the pregnancy, which, after such separation, breathes or shows any other evidence of life e.g. beating of the heart, pulsation of the umbilical cord or definite movement of voluntary muscles - whether or not the umbilical cord has been cut or the placenta is attached. Each product of such a birth is considered live born. It should be noted though, that a stillbirth, a condition in which the fetus dies in the uterus. Once the fetus has died, the mother may or may not have contractions and undergo childbirth. Keep in mind that this type of situation is NOT counted in the estimation because the fetus has died and did not show any of the evidence listed

above.

Risk Factors:
Several factors can cause delayed growth of a fetus. Babies with congenital anomalies or chromosomal abnormalities are often associated with low birth weights. Sometimes problems with the placenta can prevent it from providing adequate oxygen and nutrients to the fetus. Infections during pregnancy that affect the fetus, such as rubella, cytomegalovirus, toxoplasmosis, and syphilis, may also affect the baby's birth weight. Risk factors in the mother that contribute to low birth weight include multiple pregnancies, previous low birthweight infants, poor nutrition, heart disease or hypertension, smoking, drug addiction, alcohol abuse, lead exposure, and insufficient prenatal care. Low birth weight is more common in first-time pregnancies and among pregnant women under < 17 and > 35.

Sampling Technique: Random Sample.

Im going to use the Random Sampling technique to be able to make strong claims of statistical significance from my results.
Random samples are also known as 'probability' samples because every member of the population of interest will have an equal chance (an equal probability) of being selected to participate in the study.

Steps in selecting the sample: 1st, we divide Jordan into 3 separate regions (South, North, Mid). Then, we randomly select 400 women who gave birth anytime in the last 5 years from the best and biggest hospitals in each region to lower the error (Thus, getting our 1200 needed women). We can use Simple Random Sampling because its easy and can be computed and can ensure that everyone from the study of interest has a chance (probability) of being selected.

Method of Collecting Data:

By using available information from the Ministry of Health.