A STUDY OF VARIOUS SOCIOECONOMIC FACTORS RELATED TO PREMATURITY IN EARLY VS LATE PRETERMS

Preterm birth is a syndrome with multiple causes and socioeconomic factors are one of the main causes of prematurity and neonatal morbidity and mortality. Objectives: To study various maternal socioeconomic factors responsible for prematurity in newborn. Materials And Method: In this hospital based observational prospective study,300 preterm newborn babies were enrolled and compared in terms of various socioeconomic factors. Results: In both the groups (early as well as late preterm group),maximum number (60 (85.72%) and 143 (62.17%)) of preterm babies belonged to upper lower socioeconomic class. Early preterm births were more common 67 (95.71%) in illiterate mothers while late preterm births were more common 96 (41.74%) in mothers with primary education. In early preterm group, all mothers 70 (100%) were housewives as compared to late preterm group where majority 130 (43.33%) were employed (p=0.001).As per antenatal care, all women 70 (100%) had less than three antenatal visits in early preterm group while majority 105 (50.24%) had more than three antenatal visits in late preterm group (p=0.001). Conclusion: Socioeconomic factors were great determinants of prematurity.