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The Difference in Sibling Birthweight and Neonatal Death: A Population-Based Cohort Study
Maya Tabet1, Louise H Flick1, Hong Xian2
1Department of Epidemiology, Saint Louis University College for Public Health and Social Justice, St. Louis, Missouri.
American Journal of Perinatology
|September 8, 2018
Summary
Secondborn infants who are significantly smaller than their older siblings face a higher risk of neonatal death. This increased risk of infant mortality grows with larger birth weight differences between siblings.
Area of Science:
- Perinatal epidemiology
- Neonatal health outcomes
- Birth weight standards
Background:
- Growing demand for individualized birth weight standards over population-based ones.
- Focus on infant's growth potential for assessing smallness.
- Need to understand sibling birth weight differences' impact on neonatal mortality.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between sibling birth weight difference and neonatal death risk.
- To analyze this relationship specifically in second-born infants in the U.S.
- To evaluate customized birth weight assessment for neonatal outcomes.
Main Methods:
- Population-based cohort study of 179,300 women in Missouri (1989-2005).
- Inclusion criteria: first two nonanomalous singleton live births.
- Binary logistic regression used to assess the association between relative sibling size and neonatal death, controlling for covariates.
Main Results:
- Secondborn infants relatively smaller than their elder sibling had 2.54 times higher adjusted odds of neonatal death.
- Each 100-g increase in birth weight deficit was linked to a 13% rise in neonatal death odds.
- Significant association found between sibling birth weight disparity and neonatal mortality.
Conclusions:
- Birth weight deviation from the elder sibling is a predictor of neonatal death.
- Considering the elder sibling's birth weight may improve clinical and research assessments.
- Individualized assessment of birth weight relative to siblings could enhance neonatal care.
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