With higher rates of cesarean section in the world, Brazil has almost 12% of premature

Study shows that 11.7% of births in Brazil are premature. The survey conducted with the participation of 12 universities shows that among pregnant women under 15, the rate of premature births is 10.8%. Among mothers between the ages of 20 to 34 drops to 6.7%.

The study Prematurity and Its Possible Causes, referring to 2010, also shows that the South and Southeast regions are those that have the highest percentages of prematurity, 12% and 12.5%, respectively. In the Midwest, the index is 11.5%, in the Northeast, 10.9%, and in the North, 10.8%.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), in 2010, 15 million children were born prematurely worldwide. Brazil is the tenth position among the countries where most are born premature. The research also shows that while the infant mortality rate is decreasing, there is a growth of this type of occurrence.

According to the survey coordinated by the Graduate Program in Epidemiology, Federal University of Pelotas, indigenous women have the highest percentage of premature births, 8.1%. Among whites, the rate is 7.8%, among black women, 7.7%; between mulatto, 7.1%, and between the yellow-skinned, 6.3%.

The United Nations Fund for Children (UNICEF) indicates the relationship between the increase in prematurity and cesarean sections. The highest rates of caesarean sections there are in more developed regions (South, Southeast and Midwest), while the lowest are in the North and Northeast. The organization, however, points out that it takes a further study to make sure that relationship.

Brazil has the highest cesarean rates in the world, according to UNICEF. The organization points out that the incidence increased from 37.8% of total births in 2000 to 52.3% in 2010. WHO recommends that the rate does not exceed 15%, and warns that excess cesareans increases mortality of mothers and children.

According to the current study, which was supported by UNICEF and the Ministry of Health, prematurity is the leading cause of death in the first month of life. In Brazil, the mortality rate of children under 1 year is 16 per thousand live births, according to the Inter-Agency Network for Health Information (Ripsa).

The study also showed that in Brazil approximately 8% of babies born with low birth weight, ie, less than 2.5 pounds. Black women account for the largest percentage of births of children underweight, 9.4%, followed by white, with 8.3%, and brown, with 8.2%. Among the skin yellow and indigenous indexes are 7.6% and 7.7%, respectively.

With information from the Agency Brazil

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