The purpose of this study was to identify factors influencing premature infants who are small for their gestational ago.

The medical records of 1,010 premature infants of 26 to 35 weeks of gestational age born at Il-Sin Christian Hospital, Busan from January 2000 to August 2006 were reviewed. We collected data on gestational age, birth weight, infant gender, birth order, maternal age and previous abortion history and analyzed the factors influencing premature infants who were small for their gestational ago at birth.

In our study more female than male ( P =0.042) in premature infants who were small for their gestational ago were born from mothers aged younger than 20 or older than 35 ( P =0.041). But association between smallness for gestational age and birth order or maternal previous abortion history was statistically insignificant ( P =0.228, P =0.129).

Considering the association of birth weight and the survival rate of premature infants, it is thought that maternal age had an influence on the survival rate of premature infants. Social and political support to lower the teenager pregnancy and older pregnancy is expected to increase the survival rate of premature infants and the birth of healthy normal neonates.