Análisis y factores de riesgo asociados a la muerte fetal en el Ecuador según las zonas de planificación en el periodo 2018 – 2022

Abstract

Background: Fetal death is defined as the birth of a newborn without vital signs. Although it is declining, it remains prevalent in low-income countries. Objective: To analyze the risk factors and prevalence of fetal death in Ecuador according to planning zones in the period 2018–2022. Methodology: The research design was qualitative, observational, analytical, cross-sectional cohort, correlational, and retrospective. Data collection was carried out using the INEC Open Data Bank, which provided a sample of 1,385,980 cases, including live births and stillbirths. All cases that did not present all the variables under study were excluded. Results: The final sample size was 1,181,351. Maternal factors associated with fetal death are: single marital status (P: 0.018; OR: 1.816; 95% CI 1.11, 2.972), black ethnicity (P: 0.001; OR: 2.537; 95% CI 1.497, 4.301), history of death (P: 0.000; OR: 2.492; 95% CI 2.295, 2.706) and inadequate prenatal checkups (P: 0.000; OR: 1.925; 95% CI 1.840, 2.015). Fetal characteristics associated with death included: male sex (P: 0.000; OR: 1.218; 95% CI 1.144, 1.297), extreme prematurity (P: 0.000; OR: 13.546; 95% CI 11.879, 15.448), and low birth weight (P: 0.000; OR: 10.96; 95% CI 10.009, 12.001). Conclusion: After the analysis, it is concluded that Ecuador also presents similar risk factors as other studies in other countries, with a notable decrease in fetal death as well as birth rates in recent years. Keywords: stillbirth, risk factor, fetal death.