Prevalence of premature babies born in the city of Valença/RJ

Abstract

This study aimed to Identify the prevalence of preterm infants born in the municipality of Valença-RJ from the statistical analysis of data from the Live Births Declaration in the years 2018 and 2019 and associate prematurity with the profile of pregnant women in the city of Valença/RJ as to maternal age, color/race, level of education, and prenatal care. Thus, a cross-sectional epidemiological study with a quantitative approach was conducted in the municipality of Valença/RJ and a sample of 270 preterm infants born between the years 2018 and 2019. For data collection, the database made available by the Live Births Information System was used, and the statistical analysis was performed from the use of RStudio version 4.1.0. There was an increase in the rate of prematurity from 12.45% in 2018 to 15.57% in 2019. A significant association of prematurity was observed in: women aged below 19 years and above 35 years; women with low education; black or brown women; and those who had up to six prenatal visits. It is concluded that the data found about the association of prematurity and the profile of pregnant women in this study corroborate what is described by the Ministry of Health.