Maternal nutritional status and care during pregnancy are essential for adequate birth weight. In this prospective cohort study (N = 1061) in an urban slum, we investigated the association of maternal anthropometry, body composition, gestational weight gain and dietary intakes with low birthweight (LBW, <2.5 kg). About one-third of the women were short (<150 cm), 35% were underweight (<45 kg), 23% suffered from chronic energy deficiency (CED, BMI < 18.5 kg/m²) and another 30% were overweight/obese. The mean age and BMI were 23 years and 21.7 kg/m², respectively, and haemoglobin was 10.73 g/dL. The mean birthweight (N = 605) was 2.81 ± 0.5 kg, and the average gestational age was 38 ± 2 weeks. About 15% of infants had LBW, and 48% were small for gestational age (SGA). Maternal body composition was assessed by skinfold thickness (SFT) in all trimesters. In the first trimester (N = 762), we found that mean fat-free mass (FFM), fat mass (FM) and body fat percentage (% BF) were 38.86 kg, 11.43 kg and 21.55%, respectively. Low birthweight was significantly associated with preterm deliveries (p < 0.001) and less fat free mass (p = 0.02) in the third trimester. Among other factors were age (p = 0.017), maternal anthropometry (height: p = 0.031; weight: p = 0.059) and fewer antenatal check-ups (p = 0.037). Small size (SGA) was consistently associated with maternal bodyweight at all trimesters (term I, p = 0.013, term II, p = 0.003 and term III, p < 0.001), fat mass in the third trimester (p < 0.001) and maternal height (p = 0.003).

This article explores longitudinal trends of healthcare financing and mortality levels among the children under 5 (U5) years of age in the BRICS nations between 2000 and 2015. This analysis is based on the relevant secondary data obtained from the WHO data repository and various other publicly available sources. Inferential statistical tools like linear regression analysis was carried out to test the relationship between dependent and independent variables. The results indicate an inverse relationship between current health expenditure and U5 child deaths, revealing a decline of 29,000 U5 child deaths and 19,000 infant deaths for every US$1increase in per capita healthcare expenditure. Further, neonatal deaths declined by 1.74% and infant deaths 2.8%, while U5 child deaths declined by 4.6% per annum. India spends lowest among the BRICS nations—about US$63 per capita, while out-of-pocket expenditure (OOPE) is highest at 69.3%. Countries with higher per capita government health expenditure have better health indicators. This article, therefore, calls for strengthening public investment in healthcare to improve health outcomes.

A woman’s life undergoes several physiological changes during pregnancy, which have an impact on their health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Therefore, evaluating QoL during pregnancy could support the implementation of innovative practices for improving outcomes. The main objective of this study is to evaluate and identify the predictors associated with HRQoL during the trimesters of pregnancy. A cross-sectional study was carried out across slum areas of Hyderabad City on a sample of 267 lactating mothers having less than 6-month-old infants during August to October 2022. HRQoL was measured through the World Health Organization Quality of Life–Brief Version (WHOQOL-BREF) instrument, and questionnaires on maternal and socio-demographic variables were included. The analysis was performed using SPSS version 21. Descriptive statistics, probability and χ ² analysis were used to identify associated factors and Cronbach’s α was used to assess the reliability of questionnaires. This study reveals that socio-economic predictors associated with QoL were community, source of water, type of house, debt and foods taken. Age at marriage, having diabetes or blood pressure, economic status, education, multiparous and doing exercise were associated with HRQoL during pregnancy. This study underscores that modifiable factors would improve QoL, whereas mean values of all domains of HRQoL are lowest during the third trimester, suggesting more policies and implementation of actions for better outcomes.