Maternal Risk Factors Associated with Preterm Births among Pregnant Women in Mogadishu, Somalia

Background: Premature birth impacts millions of newborns annually. Sixty percent of the world’s preterm births occur in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Somalia’s premature birth rates and maternal risk factors are poorly studied; hence, this study aims to identify maternal risk factors related to...

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Published in:Children (Basel) 2022-10, Vol.9 (10), p.1518
Main Authors: Omar, Abdifetah Ibrahim, Mohamed, Amina Dahir, Farah, Mohamed Garad, Mahad, Ismail Abukar, Mohamed, Suban Abdullahi, Dimbil, Abyan Hassan, Mohamud, Nadifo Salad, Abshir, Fowziya Ahmed, Abdulkadir, Umayma Abdinasir
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Anemia
Birth weight
FGM
Health aspects
Hospitals
Immunization
Infants (Premature)
Iron
maternal risk factors
Newborn babies
Obstetrics
Pediatrics
Pregnancy
Pregnant women
Premature babies
Premature birth
Prenatal care
preterm birth
Questionnaires
Risk factors
Somalia
Ultrasonic imaging
Vitamin B
Womens health
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Summary:Background: Premature birth impacts millions of newborns annually. Sixty percent of the world’s preterm births occur in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Somalia’s premature birth rates and maternal risk factors are poorly studied; hence, this study aims to identify maternal risk factors related to premature births in Mogadishu, Somalia. Methods: This unmatched case-control study was conducted at four maternity hospitals in Mogadishu, Somalia. The cases were newborns with gestational ages of less than 37 weeks; controls were newborns with gestational ages of 37 to 42 weeks. All were live singletons. Cross-tabulation and binary logistic regression were used to analyze the data; a p-value of 0.05 was deemed statistically significant. Result: Of the total of 499 newborns, 70 were cases, and 429 were controls. Adequate prenatal care, maternal urine analysis, tetanus toxoid (TT) vaccination, hemoglobin (Hb) measurement, ultrasound monitoring, intake of iron + folic acid (IFA) supplement, blood pressure (BP) measurement during the current pregnancy, as well as partograph usage during labor all significantly decreased risk of having premature births. A prior history of preterm delivery and preeclampsia, obstetric complications, and female genital mutilation (FGM) significantly increased the risk of preterm births. Conclusion: The utilization of antenatal care services, use of a partograph, obstetric complications, and prior history of premature birth and preeclampsia had a substantial effect on preterm birth rates. This study identifies female genital mutilation (FGM) as a previously unidentified risk factor for preterm birth that needs additional investigation.
ISSN:2227-9067
2227-9067
DOI:10.3390/children9101518