Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 7, 2026

A Novel Method for Involving Women of Color at High Risk for Preterm Birth in Research Priority Setting
14:43

A Novel Method for Involving Women of Color at High Risk for Preterm Birth in Research Priority Setting

Published on: January 12, 2018

12.5K

Prematurity and Multidimensional Risk Patterns in Adolescent and Adult Pregnancies: A Principal Component Analysis in

Florin Tovirnac1, Alina Mihaela Calin1, Catalin Plesea-Condratovici2

  • 1Clinic Surgical Department, Dunarea de Jos University of Galati, 800008 Galati, Romania.

Children (Basel, Switzerland)
|December 30, 2025
PubMed

Insights

Risk profiles for preterm birth are complex and differ between adolescent and adult pregnancies. Understanding these multidimensional patterns can inform age-specific prevention strategies for better maternal and infant outcomes.

Area of Science:

  • Obstetrics and Gynecology
  • Perinatal Medicine
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Preterm birth is a leading cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality.
  • Risk factors involve complex interactions between maternal, fetal, placental, and behavioral elements.
  • Eastern European cohort data were analyzed to explore risk patterns.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine latent multidimensional risk patterns in adolescent and adult pregnancies.
  • To identify distinct risk profiles associated with preterm birth across different maternal age groups.
  • To provide a data-driven framework for age-specific preventive strategies.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective observational study of non-COVID pregnancies (2020-2021) in Brăila, Romania.
  • Analysis of three cohorts: adolescent preterm (n=54), adult preterm (n=231), and adult term (n=3354).
  • Principal Component Analysis (PCA) with Varimax rotation on maternal, fetal, placental, and behavioral indicators.

Main Results:

  • PCA identified three latent dimensions explaining 66-72% of variance across all groups.
  • Adolescent preterm pregnancies showed clustering of maternal complications, behaviors, and obstetric-placental indicators.
  • Adult preterm pregnancies revealed distinct placental-obstetric and behavioral dimensions; adult term pregnancies highlighted behavioral/socio-environmental factors.

Conclusions:

  • Prematurity risk profiles are multidimensional and vary significantly by maternal age and pregnancy outcome.
  • Exploratory PCA dimensions offer a framework for understanding risk clustering in diverse maternal populations.
  • Further validation in prospective, multicenter studies is needed for clinical application.
Abstract

Keywords:
adolescent pregnancyclinical risk stratificationpregnancy outcomespreterm birthprincipal component analysis

More Related Videos

Implementation of a Real-Time Psychosis Risk Detection and Alerting System Based on Electronic Health Records using CogStack07:31

Implementation of a Real-Time Psychosis Risk Detection and Alerting System Based on Electronic Health Records using CogStack

Published on: May 15, 2020

7.5K
Using a Murine Model of Psychosocial Stress in Pregnancy as a Translationally Relevant Paradigm for Psychiatric Disorders in Mothers and Infants06:39

Using a Murine Model of Psychosocial Stress in Pregnancy as a Translationally Relevant Paradigm for Psychiatric Disorders in Mothers and Infants

Published on: June 13, 2021

3.5K

Related Concept Videos

Regression Toward the Mean01:52

Regression Toward the Mean

Regression toward the mean (“RTM”) is a phenomenon in which extremely high or low values—for example, and individual’s blood pressure at a particular moment—appear closer to a group’s average upon remeasuring. Although this statistical peculiarity is the result of random error and chance, it has been problematic across various medical, scientific, financial and psychological applications. In particular, RTM, if not taken into account, can interfere when...
6.8K
Longitudinal Studies01:26

Longitudinal Studies

Longitudinal studies are also widely used in other medical and social science fields. For instance, in cardiovascular research, they can monitor patients' health over decades to identify risk factors for heart disease, such as high cholesterol or smoking, and evaluate the long-term effectiveness of preventive measures. Similarly, in mental health studies, researchers might follow individuals from adolescence into adulthood to understand the development and progression of conditions like...
444
Bias in Epidemiological Studies01:29

Bias in Epidemiological Studies

Biases can arise at various stages of research, from study design and data collection to analysis and interpretation. Recognizing and addressing these biases is essential to ensure the validity and reliability of epidemiological findings.Broadly speaking, biases in epidemiology fall into three main categories: selection bias, information bias, and confounding. A more detailed description of possible biases is:  
1.2K
Ethnic Identity within a Larger Culture01:27

Ethnic Identity within a Larger Culture

Adolescents from ethnic minority backgrounds face a multifaceted journey in forming their identities, shaped by the intersections of cultural expectations and personal exploration. For these adolescents, identity formation involves not only typical developmental challenges but also navigating the perceptions and attitudes of the majority culture. As they grow, adolescents in ethnic minority groups often become increasingly aware of stereotypes, social biases, and discrimination, all of which...
208
Longitudinal Research02:20

Longitudinal Research

Sometimes we want to see how people change over time, as in studies of human development and lifespan. When we test the same group of individuals repeatedly over an extended period of time, we are conducting longitudinal research. Longitudinal research is a research design in which data-gathering is administered repeatedly over an extended period of time. For example, we may survey a group of individuals about their dietary habits at age 20, retest them a decade later at age 30, and then again...
13.0K
Psychological and Sociocultural Causes of Schizophrenia01:29

Psychological and Sociocultural Causes of Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia, a complex psychiatric disorder, has been historically misunderstood. Early psychological theories attributed its origins to childhood trauma and unresponsive parenting. However, contemporary research largely rejects these notions, favoring the vulnerability-stress hypothesis. This model proposes that individuals with a genetic predisposition to schizophrenia may develop the disorder following exposure to significant environmental stressors. Notably, studies on high-risk...
438