Prevalence and risk factors associated with preterm birth in India:
Systematic review and meta-analysis
Abstract
Background: Preterm birth (PTB) is one of the important health concerns
and a leading cause of infant mortality and morbidity worldwide.
Objective: To investigate the potential and absolute risk factor(s)
associated with PTB and also to understand the overall trend of the
prevalence rate of PTB among the Indian population. Materials and
methods: Search from PubMed, Medline, Google Scholar and web of science
databases were included in assessing prevalence rate of PTB as well as
evaluating association between various risk factors and preterm birth.
Results: The prevalence rate of PTB is varied across the country and it
ranges from 2% to 25.6%. The overall pooled risk of PTB varies with
different risk factors such as gestational hypertension shows 19.16%
(95% CI 8.54 to 29.78, I2 = 84.09 %); 9.49% for gravida (95% CI 2.99
to 16.00, I2 = 86.07%), 8.34 % for anaemia (95% CI 4.45 to 12.24, I2
= 79.88%)]; 8.34% for prior preterm birth (95% CI 4.45 to 12.24, I2
= 94.89%)] and4.61% for gestational diabetes (95% CI 1.48 to 7.73,
I2 = 53.27%)];. Moreover, low socioeconomic status, inadequate
antenatal care, infections during pregnancy, and advance maternal age,
are also found to be potential risk factors of PTB among the Indian
population. Conclusions: The rate of PTB in Indian population is above
the rate estimated by WHO. Most of the etiological factors of PTB are
modifiable and hence giving community awareness on its ill effects and
preconception counselling should be emphasize to address the health
consequences of PTB.