Table II.
Maternal Characteristics and preterm birth among Tanzanian (1999–2006) and Black US Babies (1995–2000)
| Tanzania (n=14 444) | United States* (n=3 530 335) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Characteristic | % Babies | % preterm |
% severe preterm |
% Babies | % preterm |
% severe preterm |
| Overall | 100 | 10.0 | 1.4 | 100 | 16.2 | 3.6 |
| Education level | ||||||
| Primary or lower | 65.6 | 11.0 | 1.5 | 2.9 | 19.5 | 4.6 |
| Secondary | 5.1 | 10.2 | 1.5 | 63.8 | 17.0 | 3.7 |
| Post-secondary | 29.3 | 7.3 | 0.9 | 33.3 | 13.9 | 3.1 |
| Missing n (%) | 45 (0.3) | 72730 (2.1) | ||||
| maternal age (years) | ||||||
| <19 | 5.4 | 14.8 | 1.8 | 15.1 | 18.5 | 4.3 |
| 19–25 | 38.0 | 9.6 | 1.0 | 43.0 | 15.1 | 3.2 |
| 26–30 | 28.6 | 9.1 | 1.3 | 21.1 | 15.2 | 3.4 |
| 30–35 | 18.4 | 10.2 | 1.8 | 13.9 | 16.9 | 4.0 |
| 36+ | 9.6 | 10.4 | 1.1 | 6.9 | 19.8 | 4.7 |
| Missing n (%) | 29 (0.2) | - | ||||
| Birth Order | ||||||
| 1st | 35.6 | 8.8 | 0.9 | 30.8 | 15.2 | 3.5 |
| 2nd | 26.7 | 9.2 | 1.2 | 25.9 | 14.9 | 3.2 |
| 3rd | 17.8 | 9.8 | 1.3 | 18.6 | 15.8 | 3.3 |
| 4th or higher | 19.9 | 12.8 | 2.1 | 24.7 | 18.9 | 4.4 |
| Missing n (%) | 24 (0.2) | 28980 (0.8) | ||||
| Marital Status | ||||||
| Married | 90.2 | 9.5 | 1.2 | 30.6 | 13.6 | 2.8 |
| Unmarried | 9.8 | 12.0 | 1.8 | 69.4 | 17.2 | 3.9 |
| Missing n (%) | 107 (0.7) | - | ||||
| Baby's sex | ||||||
| Male | 51.5 | 10.0 | 1.2 | 50.8 | 16.4 | 3.7 |
| Female | 48.5 | 9.7 | 1.4 | 49.2 | 15.9 | 3.5 |
| Missing n (%) | 341 (2.4) | - | ||||
| Tobacco use during pregnancy | ||||||
| Yes | 0.2 | 4.6 | 0.0 | 9.7 | 21.9 | 5.3 |
| No | 99.8 | 9.9 | 1.3 | 90.3 | 15.7 | 3.4 |
| Missing n (%) | 63 (0.4) | 345882 (9.8) | ||||
*
Source: US National Center for Health Statistics (1995–2000)