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Exploring Predictors of Preterm Birth: A Comparative Study of Turkish and Syrian Refugee Women

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Abstract

Objective

This study is designed to explore associated sociodemographic, birth-related and household characteristics with preterm birth (< 37 weeks) among Turkish and Syrian refugee women.

Methods

The data utilized in this study were obtained from the Turkey Demographic and Health Survey (TDHS) conducted in 2018. Various statistical analyses, including descriptive statistics, independent sample t-tests, and Chi-square tests, were employed to examine the differences in study variables between Turkish and Syrian refugee women. Furthermore, logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify the associated factors with preterm birth among Turkish and Syrian refugee women, allowing for comparative analysis.

Results

The key findings of this study revealed significant differences in sociodemographic (p < 0.05), birth-related (p < 0.05), and household characteristics (p < 0.05) that are associated with preterm birth among Turkish and Syrian refugee women. Also, nationality (OR: 3.427; 95% CI 2.770–4.241), delivery by c-section (OR: 1.630; 95% CI 1.370–1.939), educational status (OR: 0.674; 95% CI 0.547–0.832), place of delivery (OR: 0.806; 95% CI 0.666–0.975), and number of household members (OR: 1.206; 95% CI 1.013–1.437) were found to be important factors associated with preterm birth risk.

Conclusions

The key findings of this study contribute to the identification of women’s factors in preterm birth. By understanding the factors that contribute to preterm birth among both Syrian refugee and Turkish women, appropriate interventions can be developed to improve maternal and child health outcomes.

Significance

After the civil war that broke out in Syria, most of the Syrian people immigrated to many countries, especially Turkey. Changing living conditions and difficulties in accessing health services cause refugee pregnant women to face the risk of premature birth. This study contributes to the existing knowledge by emphasizing comparatively the sociodemographic, birth-related and household characteristics associated with preterm birth among the Syrian refugee and Turkish women population living in Turkey.

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Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge Hacettepe University Institute of Population Studies for providing valuable guidance and support throughout the study. They are also grateful for the very kind support of all the Institute staff who shared their knowledge and experience.

Funding

We received no funding for this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences (FEAS), Department of Health Care Management, Hacettepe University, Beytepe Ankara, 06800, Turkey

    Busra Saylan & Songul Cinaroglu

Authors
  1. Busra Saylan
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  2. Songul Cinaroglu
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Contributions

The first author (BS) conceived the idea for the study, conducted the study design and data analysis, and drafted the article. Other co-author (SC) contributed to the review of the data analysis, interpretation of the data, and review of the methodology. She also revised the article for important intellectual content. All authors approved the final version of the article and accepted responsibility for the article.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Busra Saylan.

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Conflict of interest

None of the authors has any conflict of interest to disclose.

Ethical Approval

In the current study, which is based on secondary data analysis of deidentified data, the study was conducted by maintaining ethical standards with the permissions and survey data obtained from the Hacettepe University Population Studies Institute. Hacettepe University Ethics Committee had approved the TDHS (Turkey Demographic and Health Survey) study protocol.

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Saylan, B., Cinaroglu, S. Exploring Predictors of Preterm Birth: A Comparative Study of Turkish and Syrian Refugee Women. Matern Child Health J 28, 506–512 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-023-03808-z

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