ASSOCIATED FACTORS OF PRETERM BIRTH AMONG MOTHERS WHO GAVE BIRTH AT JIMMA UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER, JIMMA, ETHIOPIA. Institutional based Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

Background Preterm birth is defined as delivery after gestational age of viability and before 37 completed weeks. Globally round 13.4million babies were born preterm. Across countries rate of preterm birth range from 4-16% (7) Around 15 million preterm deliveries occur worldwide each year, which is more than one in ten babies born preterm. Of this about 85% occur in developing countries like south Asian and sub-Saharan African. The overall prevalence of preterm birth in Ethiopia was 10.48%.