Prevalence and trends of low birth weight in Iran: A systematic review and

Low birth weight (LBW) is defined as a weight of 2499 g or less and in world it is considered an important determinant of infant health status. This paper aims to determine of trends and prevalence of LBW in Iran with Meta analysis method.on the computerized literature valid on valid keyword with search in valid database (SID.MEDLIB, IRANMEDEX, GOOGLE, MAGIRAN, and PUBMED) recruited in different geographic areas. To explore heterogeneity in studies I 2 index was used. Meta-analysis used to data analysis with random effects model.Hospital data 195075 children enrolled in study. The Thirty eight studies met our inclusion criteria. The pooled prevalence rate of LBW was 7%. Prevalence of LBW in Iran showed an increasing trend during 1991-2010.The LBW rate in Iran is high. There is a need to change obstetric policy on weight gain during pregnancy to reverse the LBW rate trend.