Objective: To determine risk factors associated with birth defects in infants in three health ins- titutions in Popayan, Cauca. Background: Congenital anomalies are deve- lopment defects associated with causes present before, during and after conception. Globally they affect 2-3% of all newborns, and are bet- ween second and fifth place as cause of infant mortality in Latin America. Vol. 45 No. 1 - 2012