PURPOSE: To determine the independent effects of maternal age and race/ethnicity on poor pregnancy outcomes, with and without controlling for other factors. METHODS: Logistic regression analysis of 54,447 linked birth, fetal death, and infant death certificates in California from 1980-87. RESULTS: Women of young maternal age (10-13 years) are approximately 2.5 times more likely to have a low birthweight infant and 3.4 times more likely to have a preterm birth than women of "prime" childbearing age. African-American women are 1.7 times more likely to have a low birthweight infant, and 2 times more likely to have a preterm birth than their white and Hispanic counterparts. The association of infant death with maternal age and race/ethnicity is statistically significant in the unadjusted models, however, those associations disappear completely when birthweight and gestational age are considered. Interactions between maternal age and race/ethnicity explained very little of the variability for any of the outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Maternal age at delivery and race/ethnicity are independently and significantly associated with poor pregnancy outcomes such as low birthweight and premature births. However, young maternal age and race/ethnicity do not appear to interact in a manner that produces a differential effect on the birth outcomes assessed in this study. The incidence of infant mortality is unrelated to maternal age or race/ethnicity, after controlling for prematurity and low birthweight, underscoring the importance of intervention efforts aimed at their prevention.
PURPOSE: To determine the independent effects of maternal age and race/ethnicity on poor pregnancy outcomes, with and without controlling for other factors. METHODS: Logistic regression analysis of 54,447 linked birth, fetal death, and infant death certificates in California from 1980-87. RESULTS:Women of young maternal age (10-13 years) are approximately 2.5 times more likely to have a low birthweight infant and 3.4 times more likely to have a preterm birth than women of "prime" childbearing age. African-American women are 1.7 times more likely to have a low birthweight infant, and 2 times more likely to have a preterm birth than their white and Hispanic counterparts. The association of infant death with maternal age and race/ethnicity is statistically significant in the unadjusted models, however, those associations disappear completely when birthweight and gestational age are considered. Interactions between maternal age and race/ethnicity explained very little of the variability for any of the outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Maternal age at delivery and race/ethnicity are independently and significantly associated with poor pregnancy outcomes such as low birthweight and premature births. However, young maternal age and race/ethnicity do not appear to interact in a manner that produces a differential effect on the birth outcomes assessed in this study. The incidence of infant mortality is unrelated to maternal age or race/ethnicity, after controlling for prematurity and low birthweight, underscoring the importance of intervention efforts aimed at their prevention.
Entities:
Keywords:
Adolescent Pregnancy; Age Factors; Americas; Biology; Birth Weight; Blacks; Body Weight; California; Cultural Background; Data Analysis; Demographic Factors; Developed Countries; Ethnic Groups; Fertility; Hispanics; Infant Mortality; Low Birth Weight; Maternal Age; Mortality; Multivariate Analysis; North America; Northern America; Parental Age; Physiology; Population; Population Characteristics; Population Dynamics; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Outcomes; Premature Birth; Reproduction; Reproductive Behavior; Research Methodology; Research Report; United States; Whites
Authors: Adriana Gonçalves de Oliveira; Hugo Macedo; Edigê Felipe de Sousa Santos; Claudio Leone; Francisco Naildo Cardoso Leitão; Renata M M Pimentel; Luiz Carlos de Abreu; Rubens Wajnsztejn Journal: Transl Pediatr Date: 2021-06