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Review article
Malaria in pregnancy: the difficulties in measuring birthweight
Article first published online: 18 FEB 2011
DOI: 10.1111/j.1471-0528.2010.02880.x
© 2011 The Authors BJOG An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology © 2011 RCOG
Issue
BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology
Volume 118, Issue 6, pages 671–678, May 2011
Additional Information
How to Cite
Rijken, M., Rijken, J., Papageorghiou, A., Kennedy, S., Visser, G., Nosten, F. and McGready, R. (2011), Malaria in pregnancy: the difficulties in measuring birthweight. BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, 118: 671–678. doi: 10.1111/j.1471-0528.2010.02880.x
Publication History
- Issue published online: 11 APR 2011
- Article first published online: 18 FEB 2011
- Accepted 2 December 2010. Published Online 18 February 2011.
Keywords:
- Birthweight;
- gestational age;
- malaria;
- pregnancy
Please cite this paper as: Rijken M, Rijken J, Papageorghiou A, Kennedy S, Visser G, Nosten F, McGready R. Malaria in pregnancy: the difficulties in measuring birthweight. BJOG 2011;118:671–678.
Recommendations for interventions to control malaria in pregnancy are often based on studies using birthweight as the primary endpoint. Differences in birthweight may be attributable partly to methodological difficulties. We performed a structured search of the literature using ‘malaria’, ‘pregnancy’ and ‘birth weight’ as search terms. Of the clinical trials reporting birthweight, only 33% (14/43) gave information about the timing of the measurement and details on the scales used. Seventy seven per cent explained how gestational age was estimated. We propose a standardised method for the measurement and reporting of birthweight in future studies.