Journal of North Khorasan

Background & Objectives: Despite impressive advances in pediatrics, preterm labor is known as  the most common cause of infant mortality in world and  identifying its related risk factors could bring about to  reduce of preterm birth. Therefore the present study was aimed to determine the prevalence and contributing factors to preterm birth in alive newborns in Bojnurd.

Material & Methods: This study was a cross sectional study conducted on 3561 alive newborns in Bentolhoda hospital Bojnurd in 2012. Questionnaire was completed from the records of newborns and mothers and data were analyzed with SPSS18 software and presented with t-tests and chi-square.

Results: The incidence of preterm birth was 7.2 %. The mean of mothers’ age was26.8 ± 6.4 years, 55 percent had a high school education and 54% of the newborns in the study were male. Multifetal (p=0.001), Early rupture of membrane (p=0.002), preeclampsia (p=0.03), breech presentation (p = 0.004), use of modern methods for gestation (p = 0.01) pregnancy infection (p = 0.01) contribute to premature birth. There was not relationship between newborns sex, maternal age, Placental abruption, abortion, addiction, trauma in pregnancy and preterm delivery.

Conclusions: Considering that preterm birth is a multifactorial phenomenon, identification of risk factors and consequently the screening and identification of mothers with risk factors for preterm delivery can play a part in drawing  mothers ‘attention to  consider  contributing factor and  safe delivery.

Keywords: premature birth, babies, delivery