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Trends in Preterm Births in Italy and Maternal Risk Factors in 2018-2022-A Registry-Based Study.
Franca Rusconi1, Martina Pacifici2, Anna Maria Nannavecchia3
1Department of Mother and Child Health, Azienda USL Toscana Nord Ovest, 56121 Pisa, Italy.
Children (Basel, Switzerland)
|March 28, 2025
Summary
The COVID-19 pandemic reduced preterm birth (PTB) rates in Italy, interrupting a prior decline. While socio-economic factors played a role, they only modestly explained the observed changes in PTB trends.
Area of Science:
- Reproductive Health
- Epidemiology
- Public Health
Background:
- Preterm birth (PTB) reduction during COVID-19 pandemic varied across studies.
- Limited data exist on long-term PTB trends, including post-pandemic periods and social disparity influences.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze PTB rate trends in Italy from 2018 to 2022.
- To assess the impact of maternal risk factors on PTB rates.
- To examine trends in PTB rates and associated risk factors over a five-year period.
Main Methods:
- Utilized interrupted time series analysis for PTB trend investigation.
- Employed Poisson regressions to assess risk factor associations with PTB.
- Calculated population impact fractions (PIFs) for risk factors.
Main Results:
- Studied 1,762,422 births, with 7.25% being PTBs.
- Observed a 5% average monthly decrease in PTB rates from July 2020 onwards.
- Socio-economic factors (low education, unemployment) and foreign nationality showed decreasing trends post-pandemic, with modest impact on PTB reduction.
Conclusions:
- The COVID-19 pandemic altered PTB rate patterns in Italy, decreasing average frequency.
- A pre-pandemic decreasing trend in PTB rates was interrupted.
- Changes in socio-economic maternal risk factors minimally explained the observed PTB pattern shifts.
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