Criteria for selection of communities in poor rural areas with high risk of low weight babies.

In planning public health activities to reduce the incidence of low birth weight babies (LBW) in poor rural areas, it is necessary to identify the communities which require priority actions. The study population consisted of ten rural communities with similar characteristics. All were composed of coffee plantation workers with the same source of income, similar dwellings and dress, and all were located in the same climatic zone. However, the communities showed a variability of 72% in the incidence of LBW babies. Birth weight in the communities was significantly associated with maternal weight in the first trimester of pregnancy, daily caloric intake in the first and third trimesters of pregnancy, prevalence of houses with the kitchen in the sleeping area, literacy rate and ease of access to villages. Thus the identification of communities which would require priority in public health activities can be accomplished using simple indicators. Health activities should be combined with nutrition and education programmes and improvement both of sanitary conditions and of the means of access to population centres.