The association between maternal anaemia in the third trimester and low birth weight neonates: a cross-sectional study Authors Maida Qazi Final Year MBBS Student, Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, Pakistan https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6902-0152 Bilal Ahmed Khan Department of Paediatrics, Sindh Government General Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2362-6199 Vijay Kumar Department of Paediatrics, Sindh Government General Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan Mahnoor Amin Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, Pakistan Mahnoor Shaikh Jinnah Postgraduate Medical College, Karachi, Pakistan Kanza Ateeque Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, Pakistan DOI: https://doi.org/10.47391/JPMA.31802 Keywords: Anaemia, Low birth weight, Gestational age, Body mass index, Parity Abstract Objective: To explore the association between maternal anaemia during the third trimester and low birthweight babies. Method: The prospective, cross-sectional study was conducted from August to October 2024 at Lyari General Hospital, Karachi, and comprised women with singleton, term pregnancies. Using a structured questionnaire, sociodemographic data and haemoglobin levels of the mothers in the 3rd trimester were recorded. Maternal anaemia’s potential association with body mass index, maternal age, child birthweight, gestational age at delivery, and nulliparity was explored. Data was analysed using SPSS 26. Results: Of 314 pregnant women with mean age 27±5.88 years, 241(76.8%) were anaemic. Low birthweight (<2.5kg) was observed in 45(14.3%) neonates. A significant association (p<0.01) was found between maternal anaemia in the 3rd trimester and low birthweight in neonates. Conclusion: Low haemoglobin levels in the third trimester were found to be significantly associated with low birthweight of the neonate, with severe anaemia posing the highest risk. Key Words: Anaemia, Low birthweight, Gestational age, Body mass index, Parity. Downloads Full Text Article Published 2026-06-25 How to Cite Maida Qazi, Bilal Ahmed Khan, Vijay Kumar, Mahnoor Amin, Mahnoor Shaikh, & Kanza Ateeque. (2026). The association between maternal anaemia in the third trimester and low birth weight neonates: a cross-sectional study. Journal of the Pakistan Medical Association, 76(07), 1200–1205. https://doi.org/10.47391/JPMA.31802 More Citation Formats ACM ACS APA ABNT Chicago Harvard IEEE MLA Turabian Vancouver Download Citation Endnote/Zotero/Mendeley (RIS) BibTeX Issue Vol. 76 No. 07 (2026): JULY Section STUDENT'S CORNER RESEARCH ARTICLE License Copyright (c) 2026 Journal of the Pakistan Medical Association This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.