A Literature Review of Factors Affecting Low Birth Weight Babies (LBW)

Low Birth Weight (LBW) remains a critical global health issue that significantly contributes to neonatal morbidity and mortality, particularly in developing countries such as Indonesia. The main challenge in addressing LBW lies in its complex and multifactorial risk profile, which involves biological, social, environmental, and healthcare-related determinants. This study aims to analyze and synthesize the risk factors associated with LBW based on recent scientific literature. A literature review method was applied by searching articles from Portal Garuda, DOAJ, PubMed, and Google Scholar published between 2020 and 2025 using relevant keywords. The findings indicate that maternal age, interpregnancy interval, nutritional status, anemia, preeclampsia, infections, socioeconomic conditions, environmental exposure, and the quality of antenatal care are significant determinants of LBW. The synthesis of evidence confirms that LBW is influenced by the interaction of multiple individual and healthcare system factors rather than a single cause. In conclusion, this study highlights the urgent need to strengthen antenatal care services, improve maternal nutritional status, control maternal diseases during pregnancy, and implement community-based promotive and preventive strategies as key efforts to reduce the incidence of LBW.