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Socioeconomic inequalities in very preterm birth rates

L K Smith1, E S Draper, B N Manktelow

  • 1Department of Health Sciences, University of Leicester, 22-28 Princess Road West, Leicester LE1 6TP, UK. lks1@le.ac.uk

Archives of Disease in Childhood. Fetal and Neonatal Edition
|April 6, 2006
PubMed

Insights

Socioeconomic inequalities in very preterm birth persist, with the most deprived individuals nearly twice as likely to experience this outcome. This persistent gap highlights the need for targeted interventions to reduce disparities in preterm birth rates.

Area of Science:

  • Public Health
  • Epidemiology
  • Perinatal Health

Background:

  • Socioeconomic status is a known determinant of adverse birth outcomes.
  • Preterm birth, particularly very preterm birth, carries significant risks for infant morbidity and mortality.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To quantify socioeconomic inequalities in the incidence of very preterm birth over a decade.
  • To assess the persistence of these inequalities across different levels of deprivation.

Main Methods:

  • Ecological study of singleton births (22-32 weeks gestation) in the Trent health region, UK (1994-2003).
  • Poisson regression analysis to determine incidence rates by year and decile of deprivation (Index of Multiple Deprivation).

Main Results:

  • Incidence of very preterm birth increased from 11.9 to 13.7 per 1000 births between 1994 and 2003.
  • Individuals in the most deprived decile had nearly double the risk of very preterm birth (IRR 1.94) compared to the least deprived.
  • This socioeconomic disparity remained consistent throughout the study period for both very preterm and extremely preterm births.

Conclusions:

  • Wide and persistent socioeconomic inequalities exist in very preterm birth incidence.
  • These disparities have implications for long-term infant morbidity.
  • Findings support the need for targeted interventions and monitoring to address the persistent deprivation gap in perinatal health.
Abstract

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