الفهرس 
acknowledgement
Definitions of preterm laborOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
Preterm labor refers to the onset of uterine contractions of sufficient strength and frequency (> 4 contractions in 30 minutes) to effect progressive dilatation and effacement of cervix at less than 37 completed weeks of gestation. Preterm labor complicates (5-10%), of pregnancies and is a leading cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality worldwide. It is a major public health problem in terms of loss of life, long-term disability (cerebral palsy, blindness, deafness, chronic lung disease) and health care costs both in the developing and the developed world. It is strongly associated with long-term developmental disabilities, accounting for 1 in 5 children with mental retardation, 1 in 3 children with vision impairment, and almost half of children with cerebral palsy. Majority of preterm birth occurs spontaneously, whereas 25% occur following preterm pre-labor rupture of membranes (PPROM) [1]. The present study was conducted to assess the impact of socioeconomic level on incidence of preterm labor. A cross sectional research-design was used in this study. The study was conducted in emergency and antenatal departments at the Women’s Health Hospital, at Assuit University. The hospital provides services for rural and urban areas and received patients from the whole Upper Egypt. Purposive sample of 300 women, who admitted for preterm labor to Women’s Health Hospital, collected during the period from 1st January 2015 till the end of June 2015 after calculation of the sample size based on Epi ver. 6.5 with CI 95%. The study consisted of women with only PTL. Summary 85 Two tools were used in this study. The first was Structure interviewing questionnaire for data collection It was include six parts:- Part1:- Personal data: Part2: Data related to medical history ,Part3: Data related to menstrual history Part4: Data related to obstetric history,Part5: Data related to general examination, and vaginal examination,Part6: Data related to current pregnancy ,The 2nd tool: Each woman was assessed through the socioeconomic status data scale which was designed by Abd-El-Tawab, (2004) to assess socioeconomic status of the family and consists of 4 dimensions, which include the following: Couples’level of education, Couples’occupation, Total family monthly income, and Life style of the family Ethical consideration: The researcher obtained an official permission from the head of department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Women’s Health Hospital in Assiut University and ethical approval was obtained from committee of faculty of Nursing. The official letters included purpose and nature of the study was explained for taking their approval to carry out the study. The women gave their oral informed consent to be involved in this study after explanation of the purpose of the study. There were no additional risks or costs in participation .They were also informed about their rights to refuse or withdraw at any time and assured about confidentiality of any obtained information. A pilot study was carried out before starting data collection on (30) women, who were included in the sample. Summary 86 The main results of the present study were: The findings of the study revealed that nearly two-thirds of the studied women (65.67%) were in the age group 21-30 years. the results showed that the highest percentage of women (77%) was living in rural areas. In addition, results indicated that three-quarters of the studied women (76%) were exposure to smoking. While the vast majority of women (92.33%) didn’t have history of medical disease with highly statistically significant difference (P=0.001). The results indicated that (60%) of women had a threatened preterm labor, while 40% had inevitable preterm labor and nearly half of parents (mother and father) (44.7% and 49.3%) had secondary education respectively. In addition, results showed that the majority of mothers 90.7% were house wives and there was highly statistically significant difference of gestational age and socioeconomic status (P0.002). There was highly statistically significant difference (p<0.001) in both threatened and inevitable preterm birth and house hold crowding index. The study recommended the following: 1- Upgrading the educational level of rural communities. 2- Health education programs should be organized for pregnant women about the causes of premature birth and risk factors leading to it, and also to the symptoms of premature birth. 3-Improve the health level of poor rural households to reduce the problems and health risks leading to deteriorate the lives of the mother and the fetus, which affect social and economic burden on society as a whole.