Risk factors contributed to preterm birth

Abstract EN

Ground : Preterm labor is labor that happens too early, before 37 completed weeks of pregnancy.

Premature birth is also known as preterm birth (or less than 37 weeks-full term is 40 weeks).

Important growth and development occur throughout pregnancy especially in the final months and weeks.

Objectives : To assess preterm birth; and to determine risk factors contributed to preterm birth.

Methods : A descriptive study was carried out to identify the maternal risk factors which contribute to occurrence of preterm birth.

A purposive sample of one hundred (100) women at age of (14-37) years, were selected with (60) women of preterm birth from Al- Zahra 'a teaching hospital and (40) women of preterm birth from Al- Hakeem general hospital at Al- Najaf Al-Ashraf Province, for the period of 1st February to 31st March, (2012).

The sample was collected through interviewed of the involved women with their premature babies.

Questionnaire format.

Validity of the questionnaire was determined by conducting a pilot study.

The data was analyzed through the descriptive statistical method (frequencies and percentages).

Results : The study revealed that age of mothers was ranged between (20–34) years, and (the highest percentages of the sample were illiterate ; most of them were housewives with a moderate socioeconomic status).

Sexual activity with (2-3) times per week (80 %), and medical diseases had also a contributed factor to preterm birth especially anemia (31 %).

Conclusion : The passive smoking were more reliable to preterm labor.

Recommendation : The study recommends to emphasize on efforts to prevent preterm births should be focus on reducing modifiable risk factors ; improving health education programs for the pregnant women in prenatal and post natal periods as early as possible ; and improving the quality of health care services at the primary health care centers to pregnant women.

Emphasizing on the importance role of a nurse in reducing the incidence of preterm birth among the pregnant women.