Obstetric management and outcome related to maternal characteristics.

Presented are the results of a logit analysis of the variations in birth management and outcome, other than birth weight, associated with socioeconomic and physical maternal characteristics at a London teaching hospital. Previous studies have not attempted to discriminate rigorously between the effects of correlated explanatory variables. Logit analysis overcomes this problem by systematically measuring the independent effect of each maternal characteristic on each type of management and outcome, holding the effects of all other maternal characteristics constant. The results show that, in quantitative terms, parity and age have the greatest effects on both management and birth outcome. Stature is also an important factor for certain types of management, and ethnicity, occupation, and prenatal class attendance have some significant effects. In contrast to the literature on the determinants of birth weight, the smoking habit of the mother had no significant effect when all other factors were controlled for.