[Social ecological analysis of birth prevalence and mortality of children with malformations]

Based on retrospective data collected from all over Bavaria, the influence of socioeconomic status defined for geographic areas rather than individuals and urbanisation on birth prevalence, fatality rate, and survival time of malformed infants was investigated. Urbanisation shows a negative effect on all of the outcome variables: the higher the degree of urbanisation, the higher the birth prevalence and fatality rate of malformed infants, whereas survival time decreases with increasing degree of urbanisation. Social status has a positive, but not statistically significant, effect on the outcome variables "fatality rate" and "survival time", both of which can be influenced by postnatal care and medical intervention. Increasing social status increases birth prevalence. This effect is not statistically significant.