Title |
The reliability of a newborn foot length measurement tool used by community volunteers to identify low birth weight or premature babies born at home in southern Tanzania
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Published in |
BMC Public Health, August 2014
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DOI | 10.1186/1471-2458-14-859 |
Pubmed ID | |
Authors |
Tanya Marchant, Suzanne Penfold, Elibariki Mkumbo, Donat Shamba, Jennie Jaribu, Fatuma Manzi, Joanna Schellenberg |
Abstract |
Low birthweight babies need extra care, and families need to know whether their newborn is low birthweight in settings where many births are at home and weighing scales are largely absent. In the context of a trial to improve newborn health in southern Tanzania, a counselling card was developed that incorporated a newborn foot length measurement tool to screen newborns for low birth weight and prematurity. This was used by community volunteers at home visits and shows a scale picture of a newborn foot with markers for a 'short foot' (<8 cm). The tool built on previous hospital based research that found newborn foot length <8 cm to have sensitivity and specificity to identify low birthweight (<2500 g) of 87% and 60% respectively. |
X Demographics
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Unknown | 3 | 100% |
Demographic breakdown
Type | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Scientists | 1 | 33% |
Members of the public | 1 | 33% |
Practitioners (doctors, other healthcare professionals) | 1 | 33% |
Mendeley readers
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Tanzania, United Republic of | 1 | 1% |
Unknown | 69 | 99% |
Demographic breakdown
Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Student > Master | 9 | 13% |
Researcher | 8 | 11% |
Student > Postgraduate | 6 | 9% |
Student > Ph. D. Student | 5 | 7% |
Student > Doctoral Student | 3 | 4% |
Other | 12 | 17% |
Unknown | 27 | 39% |
Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Medicine and Dentistry | 18 | 26% |
Social Sciences | 8 | 11% |
Nursing and Health Professions | 6 | 9% |
Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutical Science | 3 | 4% |
Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 2 | 3% |
Other | 8 | 11% |
Unknown | 25 | 36% |