Publication date: Sep 04, 2023
The SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic impacted the health systems between and within countries, and in the course of the pandemic sexual and reproductive health services were the most disrupted. Findings from high-income settings have reported significant changes in preterm birth prevalence during the pandemic period. To understand the possible effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on preterm birth numbers at the Brazilian national level. We compare the number of preterm deliveries during the COVID-19 pandemic period (2020 and 2021) with previous years. We conducted a population-based cross-sectional study taking the period from January 2017 to December 2021 to account. We use individual-level live births data from the Brazilian Live Birth Information System (SINASC), and we estimate the odds ratio (OR) of preterm deliveries using propensity score weighting analysis in Brazil and its regions. During the study period (from 2017 to 2021), about 2. 7 million live births were recorded per year, and the missing value for gestational age at delivery was less than 1. 5%. The preterm birth prevalence slightly increased during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to the pre-pandemic period (11. 32% in 2021 vs 11. 09% in 2019, p-value 
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| Concepts | Keywords |
|---|---|
| Brazil | Birth |
| December | Births |
| Gestational | Brazil |
| Pandemic | Brazilian |
| Covid | |
| Database | |
| Deliveries | |
| Level | |
| Live | |
| National | |
| Pandemic | |
| Period | |
| Preterm | |
| Prevalence | |
| Sars |
Semantics
| Type | Source | Name |
|---|---|---|
| disease | MESH | Preterm births |
| disease | MESH | COVID-19 pandemic |
| disease | VO | population |
| disease | MESH | live births |
| drug | DRUGBANK | Coenzyme M |
| disease | VO | time |
| disease | VO | pregnant women |
| disease | IDO | country |
| disease | MESH | neonatal deaths |
| disease | MESH | infection |
| disease | MESH | stillbirths |
| disease | MESH | inflammation |
| drug | DRUGBANK | Methylergometrine |
| disease | MESH | pneumonia |
| drug | DRUGBANK | Esomeprazole |
| disease | VO | document |
| disease | MESH | aids |
| drug | DRUGBANK | Aspartame |
| disease | MESH | marital status |
| disease | MESH | multiple pregnancies |
| disease | MESH | anomalies |
| disease | IDO | quality |
| disease | VO | protocol |
| disease | IDO | process |
| disease | MESH | pregnancy outcomes |
| disease | MESH | Uncertainty |
| disease | MESH | miscarriage |
| disease | MESH | causality |
| disease | MESH | unemployment |
| disease | MESH | vector borne diseases |
| disease | MESH | fetal deaths |
| disease | MESH | abortion rates |
| disease | MESH | morbidity |
| drug | DRUGBANK | Isosorbide Mononitrate |
| drug | DRUGBANK | Trifluoro-thiamin phosphate |
| pathway | REACTOME | Reproduction |
| disease | VO | organization |