Premature birth is characterized as occurring before 37 weeks of gestation or less than 259 days from the first day of last menstruation. Brazil is among the 10 countries with the highest rate of preterm birth, which approximately 10% are preterm birth. The north region of Brazil has one of the highest rates of preterm birth in the country. Prematurity is a public health problem that can lead to problems in all systems, as well as sensory and cognitive disorders. The objective of this study was to analyze the epidemiological trends in moderate to late preterm deliveries in the North Region of Brazil. This is an ecological study of the time series of births recorded in the SINASC for residents of the North Region of Brazil between 2011 and 2016. A total of 3,549,525 births were analyzed, of which 433,907 (12.22%) were preterm birth, and the polynomial regression model was used to analyze trends in preterm births: <37 (y = -9.6 + 36.19x - 21.43x² + 6.01x³ - 0.81x4 + 0.04x5); 32 to <37 (y = -9.5 + 34.18x - 20.81x² + 6.01x³ - 0.83x4 + 0.04x5). The analysis of trends revealed a 36.19% increase in preterm births per year (r² = 1, p = <0.05) and moderate to late prematurity, from 32 to <37 weeks, increased by 34.18% (r² = 1, p <0.05). It was observed that there was an increase in the tendency of prematurity in the north region of Brazil, especially moderate to late prematurity (from 32 to <37 weeks), and greater attention is needed to prevent them, since prematurity is the largest cause of mortality in the first month of life and add considerable costs to the public coffers.
|