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ABSTRACT
Any delivery that occurs before the mother's last regular menstrual cycle, or thirty-seven (37)
weeks of gestation, is considered preterm. It contributes significantly to the morbidity and
mortality of children. Extremely preterm, early preterm and late preterm deliveries are the
three categories into which the condition falls. According to estimates from the World Health
Organization, 10.6% of all live births worldwide occurred before full term as of 2018.
Nationally Kenyan preterm delivery accounts for 35 percent of neonatal deaths and is the
main cause of neonatal mortality. However, there is lack of reliable information at the County
level regarding the prevalence and risk factors for preterm births. The present study was
carried out at the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital (JOOTRH), which
is situated in Kisumu County along the Kisumu-Kakamega Highway. This study set out to
determine the antenatal profile of mothers who had preterm deliveries at JOOTRH, as well as
the gestational age at birth of preterm deliveries and their reasons, and the prevalence and risk
factors for preterm births. This research applied a cross-sectional study design with a
retrospective hospital-based assessment of records to investigate the prevalence and
predisposing factors of preterm births at JOOTRH. The target population was mothers to
preterm babies delivered between 1st of January 2023 and 30th of June 2023. Systematic
random sampling technique was applied with a sample size of 134 participants. Data was
analyzed inferentially and descriptively using Microsoft Excel 2010 and Statistical Package
for Social Sciences (Version 21) and presented in the form of prose, pie charts, bar graphs
and tables. Findings revealed that the prevalence of preterm births at JOOTRH was 21.28%.
The salient demographic characteristics were that lower parity is more prevalent, maternal
ages ranged from 14-41 with a median of 24.5 and a majority of the women attained
secondary school education. The late preterm subclassification was the most common. The
most significant determinants were multiple gestation and parity. The gestation age at
delivery determined the birth outcomes. The study found that the prevalence of preterm births
at JOOTRH is disproportionately higher than the country and regional averages. The data
offers insights into the patterns of preterm birth prevalence and predisposing factors at
JOOTRH, which could support the institute's strategic efforts aimed at lowering the number of premature deaths. | en_US |
