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Birth spacing and child health in urban Brazilian children
S R Huttly1, C G Victora, F C Barros
1Departamento de Medicina Social, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Pelotas, Brazil.
Insights
Shorter birth intervals (under 24 months) are linked to poorer child health outcomes, including lower birth weight and higher mortality. Longer intervals (over 71 months) show some risks but also benefits like fewer hospitalizations.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Pediatrics
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Optimal birth spacing is crucial for maternal and child well-being.
- Limited data exists on birth interval effects in urban South American populations.
- Understanding these associations informs public health interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the relationship between birth interval and child health outcomes.
- To control for socioeconomic and maternal confounding factors.
- To provide data from an urban Brazilian cohort.
Main Methods:
- Population-based cohort study of ~3500 urban Brazilian children.
- Analysis controlled for socioeconomic and maternal factors.
- Comparison of child health outcomes across different birth interval categories.
Main Results:
- Children with shorter intervals (<24 months) showed disadvantages in birth weight, postneonatal mortality, and anthropometry.
- Longer intervals (>71 months) were associated with some risks (birth weight, perinatal/infant mortality) but also benefits (lower hospitalization, better anthropometry).
- Effects were most pronounced for birth weight, postneonatal mortality, and anthropometric status.
Conclusions:
- Birth interval significantly impacts child health outcomes in this Brazilian cohort.
- Both short and very long birth intervals present distinct health challenges and benefits.
- Findings support targeted interventions for optimizing birth spacing strategies.
Abstract:
The associations between birth interval and a range of child health outcomes were examined in a population-based cohort of approximately 3500 urban Brazilian children. The effects of several socioeconomic and maternal confounding factors were controlled for in the analyses. Children born after shorter birth intervals (less than 18 and 18 through 23 months) were disadvantaged with respect to most of the health outcomes when compared with children born after intermediate birth intervals (24 through 35, 36 through 47, and 48 through 71 months). Effects were particularly marked for birth weight, postneonatal mortality, and anthropometric status at mean age 19 months. Children born after a long birth interval (greater than 71 months) also showed some disadvantage for birth weight, perinatal mortality, and infant mortality. However, this group experienced lower risks of hospitalizations during the first 19 months of life and better anthropometric status at mean age 19 months. This study provides data that are scarce from such settings and contributes to the quantification of associations between birth spacing and child health. This information is important in the planning of appropriate intervention strategies.