Proportion of Preterm birth and associated factors among mothers who gave birth in Debretabor town health institutions, northwest, Ethiopia

OBJECTIVE: Each year, about 15 million babies in the world are born too prematurely. Complication of preterm birth is the single largest direct cause of neonatal deaths and the second most common cause of under-5 deaths after infection. Therefore, assessing the proportion of preterm birth and associated factors among Mothers who gave Birth in Debretabor town health institutions have a paramount importance in designing an effective strategy to intervene. RESULT: In this study preterm birth was 12.8%. Obstetric complication [AOR = 6.6, 95% CI (3.4-12.6)], maternal Mid Upper Arm Circumference less than 24 cm [AOR = 2.6, 95% CI (1.1-6.1)], antenatal care follow up < 4 visits [AOR = 3.0, 95% CI (1.6-5.9)], being HIV positive [AOR = 5.1, 95% CI (1.7-15.4)], Premature Rupture Of membrane [AOR = 3.0, 95% CI (1.5-6.2)], and being Anemic [AOR = 2.9, 95% CI (1.3-6.6)] were found to be statistically significant. Proportion of preterm birth was high in Debretabor town. Timely identification of obstetric complications and health education to improve antenatal care utilization will minimize the proportion of preterm birth.