Is intimate partner violence and obstetrics characteristics of pregnant women associated with preterm birth in Ethiopia? Umbrella review on preterm birth

BACKGROUND: Preterm birth is a significant contributor to newborns morbidity and mortality. Despite the availability of highly effective and powerful interventions, the burden of preterm birth has not decreased. Given the relevance of the topic to clinical decision-making, strong conclusive and supporting evidence emanating from the umbrella review is required. To this end, this umbrella review study sought to determine the association between intimate partner violence and obstetrics characteristics of women with preterm birth in Ethiopia. METHODS: Six systematic review and meta-analysis studies searched across multiple databases were included in this umbrella review. The quality of the included systematic review and meta-analysis studies was evaluated using the Assessment of Multiple Systematic Reviews (AMSTAR-2) checklist. STATA version 18 was used for the statistical analysis. A random-effects model was used to calculate the overall effect measurement. RESULTS: A total of 114 observational studies in the six systematic review and meta-analysis studies involving 75,624 pregnant women were included in this comprehensive analysis. The preterm birth rate among mothers in Ethiopia was 11% (95% CI 10–13%; I2 = 98.08). Preterm birth was significantly associated with intimate partner violence (POR: 2.32; 95% CI 1.74–2.90), multiple pregnancies (POR: 3.36; 95% CI 2.41–4.32), pregnancy-induced hypertension (POR: 4.13; 95% CI 3.17–5.10), anemia (POR: 2.76; 95% CI 1.97–3.56), and premature rupture of pregnancy (POR: 5.1; 95% CI 3.45–6.75). CONCLUSIONS: More than one out of ten pregnant women experienced preterm birth in Ethiopia. Intimate partner violence is significantly associated with preterm birth. Furthermore, multiple pregnancies, pregnancy-induced hypertension, anemia, and premature rupture of the membrane were significant predictors of preterm birth. Therefore, policymakers should consider further instigations and implementations of policies and strategies closely related to reductions of intimate partner violence. It is also crucial to the early identification and treatment of high-risk pregnancies. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12978-023-01716-7.