Abstract:
A preterm birth is one that occurs before 37 weeks of pregnancy, and it is a hazard for public health worldwide. Around 134,000 of Kenya's 1.5 million yearly births are preterm births. The Objective of this study was to identify factors linked to preterm deliveries among mothers giving birth at Kiambu Level 5 Hospital. Unmatched case-control design was employed in the research. The study was conducted in the maternity ward of Kiambu Level 5 Hospital. Mother-child pair at Kiambu level 5 hospital's maternity unit and new-born section made up the study population. For cases, the consecutive technique was utilized, and for controls, systematic random sampling was used. Structured questionnaires and data abstraction forms were used in data collection from the participants and from mother’s card. Version 26 of the statistical program for social science was used to analyse the data. Frequencies and percentages were generated using descriptive analysis. Calculation of odds ratio and the statistical significance between the independent and dependent variables, binary and multivariable logistic regressions were utilized. Preterm births were substantially correlated with having given birth more than four times, history of low birth weight infants, stillbirths and fetal distress. Results showed that mothers who had given birth more than four times were seven times more likely to have preterm births than mothers who had only given birth once, (OR=7.04 (95%CI=1.66 - 29.82) P=0.008).Low birth weight babies increased a mother's likelihood of having a preterm baby by 16.1 times (95% CI: 4.68–55.41; OR: 16.11; P=0.001). Preterm births were 12.3 times more likely to occur for mothers who had previously had stillbirths compared to mothers who had not (OR=12.26 (95% CI=1.71 - 87.73, P=0.013)). Preterm delivery was 6.8 times more likely to occur for mothers of babies with fetal distress than for mothers of healthy babies (OR=6.82 (95%CI = 1.12 - 41.42, P=0.037)) The findings of the study indicate that there was an association between maternal and obstetric factors with preterm births at Kiambu level 5 hospital. The association common factors were :number of times a mother had been pregnant, history of having more than four births, history of having a low birth weight babies, history of still births, history of premature rupture of membrane, Fetal distress, premature onset labor, delivery through a cesarean section and attempted abortion. There is therefore need for proper management of antenatal mothers, and further studies are needed to determine factors influencing preterm births.
