FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH HIGH-RISK OF PERINATAL AND NEONATAL-MORTALITY- AN INTERIM-REPORT ON A PROSPECTIVE COMMUNITY-BASED STUDY IN RURAL SUDAN

In a community-based prospective study, 6275 deliveries resulting in 6 084 livebirths, 150 stillbirths (SB) and 167 neonatal deaths (NND) wer e monitored over a period of 3 years. The risk of an unfavourable outc ome (SB or NND) in multiple pregnancies was more than ninefold that of singletons. Teenage mothers and those over 34 years of age ran nearly twice the risk of having an unfavourable outcome of pregnancy compare d with mothers aged 20-29 years. First pregnancy and grandmultiparity (greater than eight previous pregnancies) carried a similar risk of an unfavourable outcome compared with mothers with 1-4 previous pregnanc ies. The most serious risk factor was the adverse outcome of the previ ous pregnancy. Compared with mothers whose last outcome had resulted i n a livebirth surviving at least 30 days, mothers with a previous SB h ad seven times the risk (adjusted for age and parity) of SB and more t han twice the risk of NND in the current pregnancy. Maternal illiterac y was associated with significantly higher risk of NND, and this rate decreased with increasing years of education. Frequency of antenatal v isits had a marginally significant effect on the SB rate. Socioeconomi c factors, diet and iron supplementation during pregnancy did not seem to affect the outcome.