Premature childbirth: social and behavioural risks in Singapore.

The associations of social and behavioural factors on preterm birth in Singapore were studied using hospital maternity records of 20,723 consecutive singleton births between January 1986 and November 1991. The overall proportion of preterm births was 3.6%, the rates for the Chinese, Malay and Indian groups being 3.2%, 3.8% and 4.9% respectively. Teenage mothers were at a higher risk of preterm labour compared to women aged 20-29 years. The incidence of preterm labour decreased with increasing educational status. Preterm births were six times more likely in women who had no antenatal care. Women who had three or more previous births were at a higher risk, while those who had one or two previous births were at a lower risk compared to women who had none.