This cross-section study aimed to identify the prevalence of spontaneous abortion and associated factors with women living in the surroundings of an industrial district in southern Brazil. The sample involved 285 exposed women and 280 women who were not exposed to pollution. Data was collected in 2004 through closed question surveys and analyzed with the application of the chi-squared test and logistic regression, which showed the prevalence of spontaneous abortion at 17.7%. The bivariate analysis showed significant association with: age of the first menstruation (OR=0,26; p=0,0008); number of children (OR=4,00; p=0,001). In multivariate analysis, age of the first menstruation was between 11 and 13 years old (OR=0,32; p=0,005); presence of three or more children (OR=2,92; p=0,03) and history of low birth weight (OR=2,39; p=0,049) remained associated to spontaneous abortion. A significant association between industrial district proximity and the result investigated was not observed. We suggest other studies to be done with biological indicators in order to identify a possible environmental influence on the reproductive health of this population or to definitively eliminate this suspicion.
Abortion, spontaneous; Women's health; Environmental exposure
