This study utilized a large population-based birth registry to estimate the independent effect of county-level poverty on preterm birth risk. The researchers found that high county-level poverty was significantly associated with preterm birth risk.
This study examines the hypothesis that ; independent of other factors, being black increased the risk of extreme preterm birth and its frequency of recurrence at a similar gestational age. The study found that recurrent black preterm births occurred at increased frequency and at an earlier gestation age (median age: 31 weeks versus 33 weeks), when compared with white births.
The researchers identified psychosocial predictors of having low-birth weight infants among mothers enrolled in the Louisiana WIC Program. Among blacks, mothers with an eighth grade education or less had the highest risk of having underweight infants. Among whites, those who initiated prenatal care in the third trimester were most likely to have underweight infants.
The researchers; goal was to study the effect of the WIC Program on adverse pregnancy outcomes. Based on the findings, WIC was protective for preterm delivery. Furthermore, it was most protective for women with inadequate prenatal care.
The authors examines whether there was an association between chronic psychosocial stress and low-birth weight neonates among low-income women. researchers found that many psychosocial stressors were associated with a low-birth weight delivery, including food insecurity, a child with a chronic illness, a crowded home environment, and unemployment.
The aim of this study was to explore whether conditions of mothers; neighbourhood of residence contributed to adverse birth outcomes, independent of individual-level determinants. Results suggested that measures of neighbourhood economic conditions were associated with both fetal growth and the length of gestation, independent of individual-level factors.
This study described the proportion of low-birth weight births that might be prevented by programs targeting maternal body mass index (BMI) before pregnancy and/or weight gain during pregnancy. The researchers found that 19% of the very low-birth weight births in South Carolina related to either underweight or overweight BMI at conception. In addition, 8% of the very low-birth weight births were attributed to inadequate weight gain during pregnancy. The authors concluded that appropriate maternal BMI at conception, in conjunction with adequate weight gain during pregnancy, might substantially reduce the number of low-birth weight deliveries.
This study tested a model describing the relationships between various biopsychosocial, behavioral, and cognitive factors on nutritional adequacy and infant birth weight in low-income pregnant women. The findings showed that maternal age, body mass index prior to pregnancy, nutritional knowledge, and infant gestation at birth explained 52% of the variance in infant birth weight. Providing nutritional education throughout pregnancy might lead to improved dietary patterns, which, in turn, might reduce the incidence of low birth weight.
The goals of this study were (1) to examine the influence of prenatal nutrition on birth outcomes, (2) to describe research on the effects of macro- and micronutrients on birth outcomes, and (3) to discuss strategies for monitoring diet and implementing nutrition education during pregnancy.
The researchers examines the effects of prenatal participation in the New York State WIC Program on birth weight through enhanced control of selection bias and gestational age bias. Adjusted estimates showed a significant positive effect of longer prenatal WIC participation on birth outcomes for all of the groups studied.
