Abstract Objective:

To analyze the difference of socioeconomic factors among mothers of preterm and full-term infants.

Material and Methods:

A cross-sectional retrospective study was developed with 250 mothers of children aged three to five years.

The sample was divided into two groups:

125 mothers of preterm infants from the referral center of a public hospital in the city of Belo Horizonte, Brazil and 125 mothers of children born full-term at a daycare center within the same city. A pre-tested questionnaire was used to collect socioeconomic data and type of breastfeeding. To verify if there was association between the dependent variable gestational age at birth and the independent variables, the chi-square test was used. A final model with multiple Poisson regression estimated prevalence ratio values for each independent variable was developed.

Results:

The final multiple regression model showed that mothers that have a low monthly income of up to USD 450.28 (PR = 1.979, 95% CI = 1.082-3.620), used drugs, cigarettes, or alcohol during their pregnancy (PR = 4.095, 95% CI = 2.422-6.921), and did not breastfeed (PR = 2.294, 95% CI = 1.205-4.369) were more likely to give birth to preterm infants.

Conclusion:

Low monthly family income, use of drugs, alcohol, or smoking during pregnancy and absence of breastfeeding were more frequent on mothers of preterm infants.