Document Type

Article

Source of Publication

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Publication Date

2-2-2020

Abstract

© 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. Both preterm birth and low birth weight (LBW) represent major public health problems worldwide due to their association with the catastrophic effects of morbidity and mortality. Few data exist about such adverse pregnancy outcomes. The current study aimed to investigate the prevalence of and factors associated with preterm birth and LBW among mothers of children under two years in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Data were collected in clinical and non-clinical settings across various geographical areas in Abu Dhabi. The data were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. A total of 1610 mother–child pairs were included in the current study. Preterm birth rate was 102 (6.3%) with a 95% confidence interval [CI] (6.1%, 6.5%) and the LBW rate was 151 (9.4%) with a 95% CI (9.3%, 9.5%). The mean (SD) of gestational age (GA) and birth weight at delivery was 39.1 (1.9) weeks and 3080.3 (518.6) grams, respectively. Factors that were positively associated with preterm birth were Arab mothers, maternal education level below secondary, caesarean section, and LBW. LBW was associated with female children, caesarean section (CS), first child order, and preterm birth. The current study highlighted the need for further interventional research to tackle these public health issues such as reducing the high CS rate and improving maternal education.

ISSN

1660-4601

Publisher

MDPI AG

Volume

17

Issue

4

First Page

1382

Disciplines

Life Sciences

Keywords

Caesarean section, Low birth weight, Maternal education, Preterm birth, United Arab Emirates

Scopus ID

85079867321

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Indexed in Scopus

yes

Open Access

yes

Open Access Type

Gold: This publication is openly available in an open access journal/series

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