Preterm birth among Indigenous peoples in Brazil's Cerrado region: a population-based profile of 22,000 births
1
Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, Brazil
2
Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Goiás, Goiânia, Brazil
Popul. Med. 2026;8(Supplement Supplement 1):A1302
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Indigenous populations bear a disproportionate burden of preterm birth (PTB), a leading cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality globally and in Brazil, where recent data show increasing trends between 2014 and 2023.¹ However, evidence from Latin America remains scarce, particularly for Indigenous peoples. In Brazil’s Centro-Oeste region, home to Cerrado-dwelling groups such as the Xavante, Bororo, Terena, and Guarani-Kaiowá, colonial legacies intersect with contemporary pressures, as Indigenous territories are increasingly surrounded by industrial agribusiness. These dynamics disrupt traditional livelihoods, intensify epidemiological transition, and contribute to persistent maternal and perinatal health disparities amid a lack of population-based perinatal data.²
METHODS:
Descriptive population-based study using Brazil's Live Birth Information System (SINASC). We included all singleton live births in the Centro-Oeste region (Goiás, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Distrito Federal) from 2015 to 2020, comparing maternal sociodemographic characteristics and PTB prevalence between Indigenous and non-Indigenous mothers.
RESULTS:
Among 1,180,243 births, 22,177 (1·9%) were to Indigenous mothers. Indigenous mothers were younger (mean 24·3 vs 26·8 years), with higher adolescent pregnancy rates (19·5% vs 12·8%). Educational attainment was markedly lower: 58·3% had primary education or less (vs 31·2%), and only 8·5% had higher education (vs 18·3%). Indigenous births concentrated in Mato Grosso (52·1%), reflecting territorial distribution. PTB prevalence among Indigenous mothers (16·7%) was 60% higher than among non-Indigenous mothers (10·5%, P<0·0001) exceeding rates reported for Indigenous populations in high-income settler-colonial nations.
CONCLUSIONS:
Indigenous mothers in Brazil's Cerrado region experience PTB rates that rank among the highest documented globally for Indigenous populations. The sociodemographic profile young age, low education, geographic marginalization reflects structural inequities rooted in colonial dispossession and ongoing territorial pressures from agricultural expansion. Achieving equity requires health system responses that address these structural determinants, moving beyond individual-level interventions toward models centred on Indigenous self-determination and territorial sustainability.
Indigenous populations bear a disproportionate burden of preterm birth (PTB), a leading cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality globally and in Brazil, where recent data show increasing trends between 2014 and 2023.¹ However, evidence from Latin America remains scarce, particularly for Indigenous peoples. In Brazil’s Centro-Oeste region, home to Cerrado-dwelling groups such as the Xavante, Bororo, Terena, and Guarani-Kaiowá, colonial legacies intersect with contemporary pressures, as Indigenous territories are increasingly surrounded by industrial agribusiness. These dynamics disrupt traditional livelihoods, intensify epidemiological transition, and contribute to persistent maternal and perinatal health disparities amid a lack of population-based perinatal data.²
METHODS:
Descriptive population-based study using Brazil's Live Birth Information System (SINASC). We included all singleton live births in the Centro-Oeste region (Goiás, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Distrito Federal) from 2015 to 2020, comparing maternal sociodemographic characteristics and PTB prevalence between Indigenous and non-Indigenous mothers.
RESULTS:
Among 1,180,243 births, 22,177 (1·9%) were to Indigenous mothers. Indigenous mothers were younger (mean 24·3 vs 26·8 years), with higher adolescent pregnancy rates (19·5% vs 12·8%). Educational attainment was markedly lower: 58·3% had primary education or less (vs 31·2%), and only 8·5% had higher education (vs 18·3%). Indigenous births concentrated in Mato Grosso (52·1%), reflecting territorial distribution. PTB prevalence among Indigenous mothers (16·7%) was 60% higher than among non-Indigenous mothers (10·5%, P<0·0001) exceeding rates reported for Indigenous populations in high-income settler-colonial nations.
CONCLUSIONS:
Indigenous mothers in Brazil's Cerrado region experience PTB rates that rank among the highest documented globally for Indigenous populations. The sociodemographic profile young age, low education, geographic marginalization reflects structural inequities rooted in colonial dispossession and ongoing territorial pressures from agricultural expansion. Achieving equity requires health system responses that address these structural determinants, moving beyond individual-level interventions toward models centred on Indigenous self-determination and territorial sustainability.
| eISSN: | 2654-1459 |
We process personal data collected when visiting the website. The function of obtaining information about users and their behavior is carried out by voluntarily entered information in forms and saving cookies in end devices. Data, including cookies, are used to provide services, improve the user experience and to analyze the traffic in accordance with the Privacy policy. Data are also collected and processed by Google Analytics tool (more).
You can change cookies settings in your browser. Restricted use of cookies in the browser configuration may affect some functionalities of the website.
You can change cookies settings in your browser. Restricted use of cookies in the browser configuration may affect some functionalities of the website.
