Abstract:
Background: Perceived social support provides a broad range of Emotional, Informational,
Instrumental, and companionship support. Some evidences showed perceived social support
curtails to enhance good perinatal outcome. However, its effect on birth weight has not been
studied in study area. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the effect of perceived social support
on neonatal birthweight among postnatal mothers in Jimma Medical Center.
Objective: To assess the effect of perceived social support on neonatal birthweight among
mothers who delivered in Jimma Medical Center, Jimma, southwest Ethiopia, 2024.
Methods and materials: A facility-based retrospective cohort design was employed in the
maternity ward of Jimma Medical Center, from March 10 to May 02, 2024. A total of 403 mothers
were selected by using systematic sampling technique. The data were collected face to face by
using semi-structured questionnaire. Then entered into epi info version 7.2 and exported to SPSS
version 26 for data analysis was used to compare perceived social support and birth weight.
Linear regression analysis was used to investigate the association between variables and at a P
value of 0.05 along 95% CI was declared statistically significant.
Results: The study revealed higher mean birth weights among infants of mothers with greater
social support (3120g high vs 2710g for low support, p<0.001). Each unit increase in
Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support score was associated with 67.3g increase in
birth weight (β=67.3, 95% CI: 37.5-116.7). Additionally, positive predictors like being married
(β=23.2 ,95% CI :13.3-45.7), college or above education (β=14.8, 95%CI: 6.7-432.3), higher
monthly income (β=31.3 ,95% CI: 10.6-73.5), planned pregnancy (β=45.2 ,95% CI: 24.7-81.6),
and negative predictors drug usage during pregnancy (β=-23.9 ,95% CI: -39.4,-13.5), and
primiparity (β=-4.2 ,95% CI: -8.2,-2.9) were identified.
Conclusion: This study provides that maternal social support significantly influences birth weight
outcomes in Ethiopia. The findings highlight that enhancing social support systems could help
reduce the high prevalence of low-birth-weight infants in this population which requires focus of
health workers and institution. Therefore, healthcare systems should integrate social support
assessments into routine antenatal care and develop targeted interventions to strengthen support
network for pregnant women.
