Foot length measurement: As a simple screening method to identify preterm newborns in community

Abstract

Objectives: To find correlation between foot length and gestational age (GA) and to derive cut off value of foot length to identify preterm neonates. Design: Present study is observational, cross sectional study. Setting: Hospital based study, conducted in Swami Dayanand hospital, Delhi over a period of eight months (September 2017-May 2018). Participants: Total of 400 neonates aged 0 to 48 hours of life delivered in hospital. Inclusion criteria: All live neonates born in SDN hospital during study period, whose GA estimate was available by last menstrual period (LMP). Exclusion criteria: (1) Neonates with congenital anomalies, (2) Newborn whose mothers LMP was not reliable, (3) Difference between GA by LMP and New Ballard score was more than 2 weeks. GA was estimated by LMP and New Ballard score. LMP was considered as gold standard. Selection procedure: Convenience sample. Outcome measures: Correlation between foot length and gestational age. Results: A statistically significant positive correlation (r=0.759, p