ArticlePloS one2020
Measuring newborn foot length to estimate gestational age in a high risk Northwest Ethiopian population.
Article in PloS one, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
9 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Feasibility and diagnostic accuracy of neonatal anthropometric measurements in identifying low birthweight and preterm infants in Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMJ paediatrics open · 2024Pooled it
- Assessing the diagnostic accuracy of postnatal clinical scoring methods and foot length measurement for estimating gestational age and birthweight of newborns in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMJ paediatrics open · 2024Pooled it
- Diagnostic accuracy of newborn foot length measurement in identifying low birth weight and preterm infants in Sidama Region, Ethiopia.BMJ paediatrics open · 2025Article
- Accuracy and utility of newborn foot length screening tools to identify small babies by mothers in Sidama Region, Ethiopia.BMJ paediatrics open · 2025Article
- Postnatal foot length in the estimation of gestational age in relation to intrauterine growth pattern among Nigerian neonates.Ghana medical journal · 2023Article
- How Can Nutrition Research Better Reflect the Relationship Between Wasting and Stunting in Children? Learnings from the Wasting and Stunting Project.The Journal of nutrition · 2023Article
- Estimating gestational age using the anthropometric measurements of newborns in North Shewa Zone public hospitals, Oromia, Ethiopia.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2023Article
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4 authors.
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Abstract
introductionPreterm birth is defined as all births before 37 completed weeks of gestation. Globally, the prevalence rate of preterm birth ranges from 47.5 to 137 per 1000 live births. In Ethiopia, the prevalence of preterm birth is 10.1%. Several anthropometric parameters, particularly, head circumference and foot length(FL) have been used as a proxy measure for gestational age(GA).
objectiveTo assess the use of newborn foot length as a screening tool to identify preterm newborns and correlation factors at the University of Gondar Comprehensive Specialized Hospital (UOG CSH), Northwest Ethiopia.
methodsInstitutional based cross-sectional study design was conducted on 205 newborns admitted to a neonatal intensive care unit, UOG CSH. Systematic sampling technique was employed. Optimal cutoff newborn foot length and area under the curve (AUC) was calculated by the receiver operating characteristic curve analysis to assess the power of foot length measurement to diagnosis prematurity.
resultsThe mean foot length was 7.41±0.67 cm with a range of 5.4-8.6 cm. Gestational age had a significant strong positive correlation with foot length(r = 0.865). The regression equation derived was GA = 4.5*FL + 3.61. Foot length had strong power (AUC = 0.99) to differentiate preterm from term newborns. A threshold newborn foot length of ≤7.35 cm had a sensitivity and specificity of 98.5% and 96.3%, respectively to predict prematurity.
conclusionFoot length had a high sensitivity and specificity in identifying preterm newborns, making it a reliable tool to identify preterm birth in a rural setting.
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