The high infant mortality rate in Poland is influenced primarily by an excessive number of low-weight births, which are most often associated with prematurity. Among important causes of premature, we have to name economic situation, women' health condition during progenitive period and also their vices. Patients and methods. 100 questionnaires, obtained from the parents preterm children during hospitalization in the Deparment of Paediatric Propedeutics by the years 1995-1998, were analysed. The following data were collected: number and course of gestation (and also vices) and delivery, data about sibilings, data about parents (age, place of birth, origin, place of residence, level of education, profession) and apartment's conditions. Results. We obtained results: the great percentage of mothers presented pathology of gestation period: young mothers - 18%, teenage mothers 5.5%, with body weight deficit (Body Mass Index <19) - 26%, smoking cigarettes - 25%. The majority number of families had bad apartments' condition. Conclusions. The high rate of mothers of preterm babies presented pathology of pregnancies.