Table 2.

Summary on perceived causes of preterm birth in the community

Causes of preterm birth
Maternal factors	Frequent illnesses during pregnancy
	Pregnant woman overworking during pregnancy i.e. farming, fetching firewood
	Husband beating the pregnant wife
	Pregnant woman eating too little and poor quality food, i.e. always eating okra, sometimes sleeping without food
	Young and old maternal age
	The history of a preterm birth in the family
	Attempted abortion or previous abortion using traditional medicine
	Giving birth to many children
	Short intervals between births
	Pregnant woman delays in starting antenatal care
	Sexually transmitted infections (matenda opatsirana pogonana) i.e. syphilis (chindoko), gonorrhea (chinzonono) and HIV/AIDs
	Traditional diseases such as Moto/tsempho or ndaka/nsanjiko
	Malaria, epilepsy, high blood pressure, anemia
General social factors	Use of family planning methods, especially injections
	Will of God
	Witchcraft
	Use of local medicine during pregnancy