Abstract
IntroductionStillbirths are more common than the death of a baby after birth. In 2012, Tamale Metropolitan Area in the Northern Region of Ghana reported 35 stillbirths per 1,000 deliveries. This study was therefore conducted to determine the sociodemographic, obstetric and maternal medical health related risk factors associated with stillbirths.MethodsA 1:1 unmatched case control study was conducted in the Tamale Metropolis. Cases were defined as singleton lifeless babies delivered by resident mothers in Tamale Metropolis at or after 28 weeks of gestation from 1st January, 2012 to 31st December, 2013. Controls were those who had live babies within the same period. We abstracted data from maternal health record booklets used in index pregnancies. We also conducted personal interviews with mothers on home visits. We estimated both crude and adjusted odds ratios, 95% confidence intervals and p values.ResultsA total of 368 mothers (184 cases and 184 controls) participated in the study. Maternal age of ≤ 24 years, prolonged labour (> 12 hours) and diastolic blood pressure of less than 80mmHg in late pregnancy were significant determinants of stillbirths (aOR = 3.0, 95% CI 1.08 – 8.39; aOR = 3.5, 95% CI 1.94 – 6.61; aOR =2.2, 1.04 – 4.54 respectively).ConclusionLow diastolic blood pressure in late pregnancy, young maternal age and prolonged labour were the key determinants of stillbirths in the Tamale Meetropolis. Improvement of community moral practices and discouraging early marriage will help reduce the menace of stillbirths. Monitoring of blood pressure and labour should be prioritized.
Highlights
Stillbirth is a baby born with no sign of life at or after 28 completed weeks of gestation
Methods: a 1:1 unmatched case control study was conducted in the Tamale Metropolis
Maternal age of ≤ 24 years, prolonged labour (> 12 hours) and diastolic blood pressure of less than 80mmHg in late pregnancy were significant determinants of stillbirths
Summary
Stillbirth is a baby born with no sign of life at or after 28 completed weeks of gestation. In Ghana, the rate of stillbirth is high ranging between 13 and 22 per 1,000 births [4,5], the highest rate is in the northern part of the country. In 2012, the Tamale Metropolitan Area which is in the northern region of Ghana reported an annual stillbirth rate of 35 per 1,000 births [6]. A cross sectional study conducted in the Ashanti Region of Ghana found malaria and anaemia to be risk factors of stillbirth [9]. In the Upper East Region of Ghana, the risk factors associated with perinatal mortality were birth injuries, prematurity and infections [10]. The objectives of this study were to assess the obstetrics, maternal medical conditions and sociodemographic determinants of stillbirths amongwomen in the Tamale Metropolitan Area
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