Maternal Risk Factors Associated With Spontaneous Preterm Births and Perinatal Outcomes at Kilifi County Referral Hospital. A Case Control Study

Abstract

Bckground: Globally, over 15 million infants are born prematurely every year. The world Health Organisation (WHO) estimates the prevalence of preterm birth (PTB) as 5-18% across 184 acountries. About a third of neonatal deaths are directly associated with prematurity which impeded the attainment of Millennium Development Goal- 4 target. Kilifi County Referral Hospital, the main hospital in Kilifi County in the Coastal region of Kenya, serves significant number of mothers with high risk pregnancies whose outcomes include preterm births. In Kenya, few studies have looked at the factors associated with preterm births, none of these studies have been done in Kilifi County. It is therefore important to identify the risk factors for preventive management of preterm births in Kilifi County...........................................................................................................................