Preterm birth: associated risk factors in the tertiary care center
Authors: Fernandes Sweety Jousline , Jose Tessy Treesa , Noronha Judith Angelitta , R Sushmitha Karkada 
Published: July 2023

Objective: The study aimed at identifying the prevalence of
preterm labor and the associated risk factors. Design: A
quantitative approach using retrospective case control study.
Setting: Tertiary care hospital of Udupi district Karnataka.
Population or Sample: Women delivered in tertiary care hospital
of Udupi district Karnataka were the sample, among them the cases (250)
were the records of the women who had delivered before 37 weeks of
gestation and controls (500) were the records of women who delivered
after 37 weeks of gestation and without any complications.
Method: The study was conducted using, retrospective
case-control design by reviewing the case records of women who had
delivered in a tertiary care hospital. Main Outcome Measures:
Women delivered in tertiary care hospital of Udupi district Karnataka,
their inpatient records were assessed for the risk factors during the
antenatal period and the period of delivery. Results: The study
revealed that the prevalence of preterm labor was 356 (14.86%) Out of
2402 deliveries. Among them only 250 were assessed. It was significantly
correlated with age, place of residence, degree of education,
occupation, marital status, gravid para, and number of deliveries, type
of deliveries, gap between births, blood type, and religion. Pregnant
women who had been exposed or had risk for preterm labour included those
who had been diagnosed with pregnancy-induced hypertension, medication
during pregnancy, history of abortion, intense physical labour, and
conception dates older than 30 years. Conclusion: The preterm
labor prevalence can be minimized if the modifiable risk factors are in
control. Non-Modifiable risk factors require keen supervision. Thus the
health professional needs to be alert about all the modifiable and
non-modifiable risk factors. Keywords: preterm labor,
prevalence, risk factors Background: Preterm labor can be
prevented if detected earlier, thus to determine the risk factors of
preterm labor, the present study was conducted to identify preventive
measures. The study was conducted in the tertiary care hospital of Udupi
district using retrospective case-control design for identifying the
prevalence and the risk factors of preterm labor by reviewing the case
records of women who had delivered in a tertiary care hospital. The
study revealed that the prevalence of preterm labor was 356 (14.86%)
Out of 2402 deliveries. Among this 356 preterm labor, only 250 samples
were assessed randomly for identifying the risk factors of preterm labor
as per the sample size calculation. A significant association was found
between preterm labor and age, residence, education level, occupation,
marital status, gravid para (number of conception), number of
deliveries, type of delivery, birth interval, blood group, and religion.
The number of preterm labor were seen among the pregnant women who had
been exposed and were proved to be at risk if they were diagnosed with
pregnancy-induced hypertension, previous abortion, hard physical work,
and age of conception above 30 years.
control. Non- Modifiable risk factors require keen supervision to
prevent preterm labor.