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Premji SS, Lalani S, Ghani F, Nausheen S, Forcheh N, Omuse G, Letourneau N, Babar N, Sulaiman S, Wangira M, Ali SS, Islam N, Dosani A, Yim IS. Allostatic Load as a Mediator and Perceived Chronic Stress as a Moderator in the Association between Maternal Mental Health and Preterm Birth: A Prospective Cohort Study of Pregnant Women in Pakistan. Psychopathology 2024:1-20. [PMID: 39342939 DOI: 10.1159/000540579] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2023] [Accepted: 07/22/2024] [Indexed: 10/01/2024]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The complex biopsychosocial pathways linking maternal mental health with preterm birth (PTB) are not well understood. This study aimed to explore allostatic load (AL) as a mediator and perceived chronic stress as a moderator in the pathway linking maternal mental health and PTB. METHODS A cohort study of pregnant women (n = 1,567) recruited at clinic visits within 10-19 weeks of gestation was assessed for maternal mental health (i.e., pregnancy-related anxiety, state anxiety, depressive symptoms) and perceived chronic stress. Blood pressure and levels of cortisol, total cholesterol, C-reactive protein, and glycosylated hemoglobin were used to create a composite measure of AL. RESULTS AL had the most significant effect on PTB (odds ratio (OR) = 1.84, 95% CI = 1.26-12.67, p = 0.001), while systolic blood pressure emerged as the only significant individual marker using variable selection (OR = 22%, 95% CI = 1.06-1.40, p < 0.001) in multiple logistic regression analysis. A mediation analysis revealed that maternal mental health did not have a significant direct effect on PTB (p = 0.824), but its indirect effect mediated by AL was significant (z = 2.33, p < 0.020). Low and high levels of perceived chronic stress, relative to the mean, moderated this indirect effect (z = 3.66, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS AL has a significant direct influence on PTB and mediates the effect of maternal mental health on PTB; however, the indirect effect of AL is indistinguishable between women with higher or lower levels of perceived chronic stress than normal.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sharifa Lalani
- School of Nursing and Midwifery, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan
| | - Farooq Ghani
- Department of Pathology and Microbiology, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan
| | - Sidrah Nausheen
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan
| | - Ntonghanwah Forcheh
- School of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
| | - Geoffrey Omuse
- Department of Pathology, Aga Khan University, Nairobi, Kenya
| | | | - Neelofur Babar
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan
| | - Salima Sulaiman
- Department of Nursing, Faculty of Applied Health Sciences, Brock University, St. Catherines, Ontario, Canada
| | - Musana Wangira
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Shahnaz Shahid Ali
- Arthur Labatt Family School of Nursing, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Nazneen Islam
- Molecular Pathology, Clinical Laboratory Medicine, Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan
| | - Aliyah Dosani
- School of Nursing and Midwifery, Faculty of Health, Community and Education, Mount Royal University, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Ilona S Yim
- Department of Psychological Science, University of California, Irvine, California, USA
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Eick F, Vallersnes OM, Fjeld HE, Sørbye IK, Valberg M, Dahl C. Perinatal mortality among pregnant undocumented migrants in Norway 1999-2020: A register-based population study. Soc Sci Med 2024; 353:117055. [PMID: 38897075 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2024.117055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2023] [Revised: 04/11/2024] [Accepted: 06/13/2024] [Indexed: 06/21/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Irregular legal status is a recognized health risk factor in the context of migration. However, undocumented migrants are rarely included in health surveys and register studies. Adverse perinatal outcomes are especially important because they have long-term consequences and societal risk factors are modifiable. In this study, we compare perinatal outcomes in undocumented migrants to foreign-born and Norwegian-born residents, using a population-based register. METHODS We included women 18-49 years old giving birth to singletons as registered in the Medical Birth Registry of Norway from 1999 to 2020. Women were categorized as 'undocumented migrants' (without an identity number), 'documented migrants' (with an identity number and born abroad), and 'non-migrants' (with an identity number and born in Norway). The main outcome was perinatal mortality, i.e., death of a foetus ≥ gestational week 22, or neonate up to seven days after birth. We used log-binominal regression to estimate the association between legal status and perinatal mortality, adjusting for several maternal pre-gestational and gestational factors. Direct standardization was used to adjust for maternal region of origin. ETHICAL APPROVAL Regional Ethical Committee (REK South East, case number 68329). RESULTS We retrieved information on 5856 undocumented migrant women who gave birth during the study period representing 0.5% of the 1 247 537 births in Norway. Undocumented migrants had a relative risk of 6.17 (95% confidence interval 5.29 ̶7.20) of perinatal mortality compared to non-migrants and a relative risk of 4.17 (95% confidence interval 3.51 ̶4.93) compared to documented migrants. Adjusting for maternal region of origin attenuated the results slightly. CONCLUSION Being undocumented is strongly associated with perinatal mortality in the offspring. Disparities were not explained by maternal origin or maternal health factors, indicating that social determinants of health through delays in receiving adequate care and factors negatively influencing gestational length may be of importance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frode Eick
- Department of Community Medicine and Global Health, Institute of Health and Society, University of Oslo, Postboks 1130 Blindern, 0318, Oslo, Norway.
| | - Odd Martin Vallersnes
- Department of General Practice, Institute of Health and Society, University of Oslo, Norway; Oslo Accident and Emergency Outpatient Clinic, Department of Emergency General Practice, City of Oslo Health Agency, Norway
| | - Heidi E Fjeld
- Department of Community Medicine and Global Health, Institute of Health and Society, University of Oslo, Postboks 1130 Blindern, 0318, Oslo, Norway
| | - Ingvil K Sørbye
- Department of Obstetrics, Division of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Oslo University Hospital, Norway
| | - Morten Valberg
- Department of Community Medicine and Global Health, Institute of Health and Society, University of Oslo, Postboks 1130 Blindern, 0318, Oslo, Norway; Oslo Centre for Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Oslo University Hospital, Norway
| | - Cecilie Dahl
- Department of Public Health Science, Institute of Health and Society, University of Oslo, Norway
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Dunlop AL, Burjak M, Dean LT, Alshawabkeh AN, Avalos LA, Aschner JL, Breton CV, Charifson MA, Cordero J, Dabelea D, D’Sa V, Duarte CS, Elliott AJ, Eick SM, Ferrara A, Fichorova RN, Ganiban JM, Gern JE, Hedderson MM, Herbstman JB, Hipwell AE, Huddleston KC, Karagas M, Karr C, Kerver JM, Koinis-Mitchell D, Lyall K, Madan J, Marsit C, McEvoy CT, Meeker JD, Oken E, O’Shea TM, Padula AM, Sathyanarayana S, Schantz S, Schmidt RJ, Snowden J, Stanford JB, Weiss S, Wright RO, Wright RJ, Zhang X, McGrath M. Association of maternal education, neighborhood deprivation, and racial segregation with gestational age at birth by maternal race/ethnicity and United States Census region in the ECHO cohorts. Front Public Health 2023; 11:1165089. [PMID: 38098826 PMCID: PMC10719953 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1165089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2023] [Accepted: 10/13/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Background In the United States, disparities in gestational age at birth by maternal race, ethnicity, and geography are theorized to be related, in part, to differences in individual- and neighborhood-level socioeconomic status (SES). Yet, few studies have examined their combined effects or whether associations vary by maternal race and ethnicity and United States Census region. Methods We assembled data from 34 cohorts in the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) program representing 10,304 participants who delivered a liveborn, singleton infant from 2000 through 2019. We investigated the combined associations of maternal education level, neighborhood deprivation index (NDI), and Index of Concentration at the Extremes for racial residential segregation (ICERace) on gestational weeks at birth using linear regression and on gestational age at birth categories (preterm, early term, post-late term relative to full term) using multinomial logistic regression. Results After adjustment for NDI and ICERace, gestational weeks at birth was significantly lower among those with a high school diploma or less (-0.31 weeks, 95% CI: -0.44, -0.18), and some college (-0.30 weeks, 95% CI: -0.42, -0.18) relative to a master's degree or higher. Those with a high school diploma or less also had an increased odds of preterm (aOR 1.59, 95% CI: 1.20, 2.10) and early term birth (aOR 1.26, 95% CI: 1.05, 1.51). In adjusted models, NDI quartile and ICERace quartile were not associated with gestational weeks at birth. However, higher NDI quartile (most deprived) associated with an increased odds of early term and late term birth, and lower ICERace quartile (least racially privileged) associated with a decreased odds of late or post-term birth. When stratifying by region, gestational weeks at birth was lower among those with a high school education or less and some college only among those living in the Northeast or Midwest. When stratifying by race and ethnicity, gestational weeks at birth was lower among those with a high school education or less only for the non-Hispanic White category. Conclusion In this study, maternal education was consistently associated with shorter duration of pregnancy and increased odds of preterm birth, including in models adjusted for NDI and ICERace.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne L. Dunlop
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Mohamad Burjak
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Lorraine T. Dean
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Akram N. Alshawabkeh
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Lyndsay A. Avalos
- Division of Research, Kaiser Permanente Northern California, Oakland, CA, United States
| | - Judy L. Aschner
- Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, United States
- Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, Nutley, NJ, United States
| | - Carrie V. Breton
- Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Mia A. Charifson
- Division of Epidemiology, New York University Langone Health Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - Jose Cordero
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Georgia College of Public Health, Athens, GA, United States
| | - Dana Dabelea
- Lifecourse Epidemiology of Adiposity and Diabetes Center, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, United States
| | - Viren D’Sa
- Department of Pediatrics, Rhode Island Hospital and The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, United States
| | - Cristiane S. Duarte
- Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Columbia University-New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, United States
| | - Amy J. Elliott
- Avera Research Institute, Department of Pediatrics, University of South Dakota School of Medicine, Sioux Falls, SD, United States
| | - Stephanie M. Eick
- Gangarosa Department of Environmental Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Assiamira Ferrara
- Division of Research, Kaiser Permanente Northern California, Oakland, CA, United States
| | - Raina N. Fichorova
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Biology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Jody M. Ganiban
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, George Washington University, Washington, DC, United States
| | - James E. Gern
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Monique M. Hedderson
- Division of Research, Kaiser Permanente Northern California, Oakland, CA, United States
| | - Julie B. Herbstman
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, NY, United States
| | - Alison E. Hipwell
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Kathi C. Huddleston
- College of Health and Human Services, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, United States
| | - Margaret Karagas
- Department of Epidemiology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, United States
| | - Catherine Karr
- Departments of Pediatrics and Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Jean M. Kerver
- Departments of Epidemiology and Biostatistics and Pediatrics and Human Development, College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States
| | - Daphne Koinis-Mitchell
- Department of Pediatrics, Rhode Island Hospital and The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, United States
| | - Kristen Lyall
- AJ Drexel Autism Institute, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Juliette Madan
- Department of Epidemiology, Pediatrics and Psychiatry, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, United States
| | - Carmen Marsit
- Gangarosa Department of Environmental Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Cindy T. McEvoy
- Department of Pediatrics, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, United States
| | - John D. Meeker
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
| | - Emily Oken
- Division of Chronic Disease Research Across the Lifecourse, Department of Population Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, Boston, MA, United States
| | - T. Michael O’Shea
- Department of Pediatrics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
| | - Amy M. Padula
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Sheela Sathyanarayana
- Departments of Pediatrics and Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Susan Schantz
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States
| | - Rebecca J. Schmidt
- Department of Public Health Sciences, MIND Institute, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
| | - Jessica Snowden
- Departments of Pediatrics and Biostatistics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, United States
| | - Joseph B. Stanford
- Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT, United States
| | - Scott Weiss
- Department of Medicine, Harvard School of Medicine, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Robert O. Wright
- Department of Pediatrics, The Kravis Children’s Hospital, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States
- Institute for Exposomic Research, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States
| | - Rosalind J. Wright
- Department of Pediatrics, The Kravis Children’s Hospital, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States
- Institute for Exposomic Research, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States
| | - Xueying Zhang
- Department of Pediatrics, The Kravis Children’s Hospital, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States
- Institute for Exposomic Research, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States
| | - Monica McGrath
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, United States
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Tung I, Keenan K, Hipwell AE. Adolescent Mothers' Psychological Wellbeing during Pregnancy and Infant Emotional Health. JOURNAL OF CLINICAL CHILD AND ADOLESCENT PSYCHOLOGY : THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL FOR THE SOCIETY OF CLINICAL CHILD AND ADOLESCENT PSYCHOLOGY, AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION, DIVISION 53 2023; 52:616-632. [PMID: 34605721 PMCID: PMC8977390 DOI: 10.1080/15374416.2021.1981339] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Although many studies have identified risk factors for adolescent pregnancy, much less is known about factors that support pregnant adolescents' psychological wellbeing and offspring outcomes. This study drew on strength-based frameworks to investigate family and neighborhood factors linked to social connectedness that predict psychological wellbeing during adolescent pregnancy and offspring outcomes. METHOD Participants included 135 adolescent mothers (ages 14-21; 90% Black American) assessed annually since childhood as part of a longitudinal study. During preadolescence (ages 11-13), data on contextual stressors and neighborhood support were gathered from participants' caregivers; participants also rated their perceived trust/attachment with caregivers before and during pregnancy. To assess changes in psychological wellbeing, adolescents reported positive and depressed mood before and during pregnancy. A path analysis model tested the prospective associations between family and neighborhood factors, psychological wellbeing during pregnancy, and offspring outcomes (birth outcomes; observed infant positive/negative emotions at age 3-months). RESULTS Positive mood decreased from pre-pregnancy to pregnancy, whereas depressed mood remained stable. Adjusting for pre-pregnancy mood, perceived caregiver trust/attachment during pregnancy was associated with prenatal positive mood. Prenatal positive mood, in turn, reduced risk of preterm birth and indirectly predicted positive infant emotions via birth outcomes. Neighborhood support in preadolescence predicted lower prenatal depressed mood, but depressed mood did not predict infant outcomes beyond positive mood. Contextual life stress was not associated with prenatal mood after adjusting for family and neighborhood support. CONCLUSIONS Findings highlight changes in positive-valence emotions during adolescent pregnancy that may have unique associations with birth outcomes and offspring emotions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irene Tung
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
| | - Kate Keenan
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL
| | - Alison E. Hipwell
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
- Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
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Matoba N, Collins JW, Dizon MLV. Fetal Origins of Health Disparities: Transgenerational Consequences of Racism. Dev Neurosci 2023; 46:112-118. [PMID: 37290414 DOI: 10.1159/000531462] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2022] [Accepted: 05/24/2023] [Indexed: 06/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite advances in perinatal medicine, racial disparity in birth outcomes remains a public health problem in the USA. The underlying mechanisms for this long-standing racial disparity are incompletely understood. This review presents transgenerational risk factors for racial disparities in preterm birth, exploring the impact of interpersonal and structural racism, theoretical models of stress, and biological markers of racial disparities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nana Matoba
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, University of California San Diego, Rady Children's Hospital San Diego, San Diego, California, USA
| | - James W Collins
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Maria L V Dizon
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA
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Impact of ethnicity and neighborhood deprivation on preterm birth: How does urban living play a role? Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol 2023; 282:94-100. [PMID: 36701822 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejogrb.2023.01.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2022] [Revised: 01/16/2023] [Accepted: 01/18/2023] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Women of Black and other non-Western ethnicity and women who live in deprived neighborhoods are at increased risk for preterm birth (PTB). These women may live clustered in certain urban areas. If ethnicity reflects a biological rather than a socioeconomic risk factor, women should have a PTB risk independent of the urban area where they live. In this study we explored the association between urban living and the risk of PTB, combined with knowledge on ethnicity and neighborhood deprivation in these specific urban areas in the Netherlands. STUDY DESIGN National cohort study of 935,381 women (2014-2019) with a singleton pregnancy resulting in live birth between 24.0 and 42.6 weeks. Antepartum death and severe congenital anomalies were excluded. We performed logistic regression analysis and analyzed the impact of living in one of the four main urban areas on PTB. We adjusted for maternal age, parity and fetal gender. We tested for interaction between ethnicity, neighborhood deprivation index (NDI) and urban living. RESULTS Mean PTB rate among singleton pregnancies in The Netherlands is 5.1%. There was a strong ethnic difference in PTB risk, with the highest prevalence among South Asian women (7.9%) and African women (6.6%). In the most deprived neighborhoods the PTB risk was 5.7%. We found a significant interaction between ethnicity and urban living, and between NDI and urban living. South Asian and African women living in urban areas had the greatest risk of PTB, between 7.0% and 8.8%. CONCLUSION Ethnicity remains a fixed biological risk for PTB that cannot be fully explained by socioeconomic status or neighborhood deprivation. Independent of ethnicity and neighborhood deprivation, urban living has a great influence on the risk of preterm birth. Future studies and policies should focus on population-based interventions in those urban areas where South Asian and African ethnic groups live and where the preterm birth risk is the highest.
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Quick AD, Tung I, Keenan K, Hipwell AE. Psychological Well-being across the Perinatal Period: Life Satisfaction and Flourishing in a Longitudinal Study of Black and White American Women. JOURNAL OF HAPPINESS STUDIES 2023; 24:1283-1301. [PMID: 37273506 PMCID: PMC10237296 DOI: 10.1007/s10902-023-00634-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/03/2023] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Psychological well-being (life satisfaction and flourishing) during the perinatal period has implications for both maternal and child health. However, few studies have investigated the extent to which psychological well-being changes from preconception to postpartum periods, particularly among diverse samples of women. Using prospectively collected data from an ongoing longitudinal study, we investigated changes in two dimensions of psychological well-being from preconception to postpartum among 173 Black and White American women. Results showed that changes in life satisfaction (i.e., global quality of life) and flourishing (e.g., self-acceptance, sense of purpose) over the perinatal period were moderated by race. For life satisfaction, White women reported an increase from preconception to pregnancy with increased life satisfaction levels remaining stable from pregnancy to postpartum. However, Black women reported no changes in life satisfaction across these timepoints. In contrast, both Black and White women reported an increase in flourishing levels across the perinatal period, although the timing of these changes differed. Findings highlight a need for greater clinical and empirical attention to the way in which psychological well-being changes during the perinatal period to optimize health and inform strengths-based intervention targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allysa D. Quick
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
| | - Irene Tung
- Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh
| | - Kate Keenan
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Chicago
| | - Alison E. Hipwell
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
- Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh
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Margerison CE, Bruckner TA, MacCallum-Bridges C, Catalano R, Casey JA, Gemmill A. Exposure to the early COVID-19 pandemic and early, moderate and overall preterm births in the United States: A conception cohort approach. Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol 2023; 37:104-112. [PMID: 35830303 PMCID: PMC9350314 DOI: 10.1111/ppe.12894] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2022] [Revised: 04/27/2022] [Accepted: 05/01/2022] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The United States (US) data suggest fewer-than-expected preterm births in 2020, but no study has examined the impact of exposure to the early COVID-19 pandemic at different points in gestation on preterm birth. OBJECTIVE Our objective was to determine-among cohorts exposed to the early COVID-19 pandemic-whether observed counts of overall, early and moderately preterm birth fell outside the expected range. METHODS We used de-identified, cross-sectional, national birth certificate data from 2014 to 2020. We used month and year of birth and gestational age to estimate month of conception for birth. We calculated the count of overall (<37 weeks gestation), early (<33 weeks gestation) and moderately (33 to <37 weeks gestation) preterm birth by month of conception. We employed time series methods to estimate expected counts of preterm birth for exposed conception cohorts and identified cohorts for whom the observed counts of preterm birth fell outside the 95% detection interval of the expected value. RESULTS Among the 23,731,146 births in our study, the mean prevalence of preterm birth among monthly conception cohorts was 9.7 per 100 live births. Gestations conceived in July, August or December of 2019-that is exposed to the early COVID-19 pandemic in the first or third trimester-yielded approximately 3245 fewer moderately preterm and 3627 fewer overall preterm births than the expected values for moderate and overall preterm. Gestations conceived in August and October of 2019-that is exposed to the early COVID-19 pandemic in the late second to third trimester-produced approximately 498 fewer early preterm births than the expected count for early preterm. CONCLUSIONS Exposure to the early COVID-19 pandemic may have promoted longer gestation among close-to-term pregnancies, reduced risk of later preterm delivery among gestations exposed in the first trimester or induced selective loss of gestations.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Tim A. Bruckner
- Department of Health, Society, and Behavior, and the Center for Population, Inequality, and Policy, University of California, Irvine
| | | | - Ralph Catalano
- School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley
| | - Joan A. Casey
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Columbia Mailman School of Public Health
| | - Alison Gemmill
- Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
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Ajayi KV, Garney WR. What Black Mothers with Preterm Infants Want for Their Mental Health Care: A Qualitative Study. WOMEN'S HEALTH REPORTS (NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y.) 2023; 4:39-47. [PMID: 36893324 PMCID: PMC9986014 DOI: 10.1089/whr.2022.0088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/16/2022] [Indexed: 02/09/2023]
Abstract
Title "I think that some culturally sensitive mental health information could have been provided": What Black mothers with preterm infants want for their mental health care: A qualitative study. Background In the United States, preterm birth (PTB) rates in Black women are 50% higher than in non-Hispanic White and Hispanic mothers. Existing discriminatory sociohistorical and contemporary health care practices have been linked to the alarmingly higher rates of PTB among Black families. While it is well-known that PTB is associated with increased mental health (MH) problems, Black women experience elevated MH burdens due to inequities along the care continuum in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Consequently, culturally responsive MH care holds promises to achieve maternal MH equity. This study aimed to explore the available MH services and resources in the NICU for Black mothers with preterm infants. We also sought to discover potential recommendations and strategies for MH programs through a cultural lens. Materials and Methods Semistructured interviews were conducted with Black mothers with preterm infants using a Grounded Theory approach embedded in the Black feminist theory. Results Eleven mothers who gave birth to a preterm infant between 2008 and 2021 participated in this study. Eight women reported not receiving MH services or resources in the NICU. Interestingly, of the three mothers who received MH referrals/services, two did so one-year postbirth and did not utilize the services. Three main themes emerged: stress and the NICU experience, coping mechanisms, and culturally appropriate MH care with diverse providers are needed. Overall, our finds suggest that MH care is not prioritized in the NICU. Conclusion Black mothers with preterm infants encounter numerous negative and stressful experiences that exacerbate their MH during and beyond the NICU. However, MH services in the NICU and follow-up services are scarce. Mothers in this study endorsed creating culturally appropriate MH programs that addresses their unique intersections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kobi V Ajayi
- Department of Health Behavior, School of Public Health, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA.,Laboratory for Community Health Evaluation and Systems Science, Department of Health Behavior, School of Public Health, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
| | - Whitney R Garney
- Department of Health Behavior, School of Public Health, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA.,Laboratory for Community Health Evaluation and Systems Science, Department of Health Behavior, School of Public Health, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
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Becker M, Mayo JA, Phogat NK, Quaintance CC, Laborde A, King L, Gotlib IH, Gaudilliere B, Angst MS, Shaw GM, Stevenson DK, Aghaeepour N, Dhabhar FS. Deleterious and Protective Psychosocial and Stress-Related Factors Predict Risk of Spontaneous Preterm Birth. Am J Perinatol 2023; 40:74-88. [PMID: 34015838 PMCID: PMC11036409 DOI: 10.1055/s-0041-1729162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The aim of the study was to: (1) Identify (early in pregnancy) psychosocial and stress-related factors that predict risk of spontaneous preterm birth (PTB, gestational age <37 weeks); (2) Investigate whether "protective" factors (e.g., happiness/social support) decrease risk; (3) Use the Dhabhar Quick-Assessment Questionnaire for Stress and Psychosocial Factors (DQAQ-SPF) to rapidly quantify harmful or protective factors that predict increased or decreased risk respectively, of PTB. STUDY DESIGN This is a prospective cohort study. Relative risk (RR) analyses investigated association between individual factors and PTB. Machine learning-based interdependency analysis (IDPA) identified factor clusters, strength, and direction of association with PTB. A nonlinear model based on support vector machines was built for predicting PTB and identifying factors that most strongly predicted PTB. RESULTS Higher levels of deleterious factors were associated with increased RR for PTB: General anxiety (RR = 8.9; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.0,39.6), pain (RR = 5.7; CI = 1.7,17.0); tiredness/fatigue (RR = 3.7; CI = 1.09,13.5); perceived risk of birth complications (RR = 4; CI = 1.6,10.01); self-rated health current (RR = 2.6; CI = 1.0,6.7) and previous 3 years (RR = 2.9; CI = 1.1,7.7); and divorce (RR = 2.9; CI = 1.1,7.8). Lower levels of protective factors were also associated with increased RR for PTB: low happiness (RR = 9.1; CI = 1.25,71.5); low support from parents/siblings (RR = 3.5; CI = 0.9,12.9), and father-of-baby (RR = 3; CI = 1.1,9.9). These factors were also components of the clusters identified by the IDPA: perceived risk of birth complications (p < 0.05 after FDR correction), and general anxiety, happiness, tiredness/fatigue, self-rated health, social support, pain, and sleep (p < 0.05 without FDR correction). Supervised analysis of all factors, subject to cross-validation, produced a model highly predictive of PTB (AUROC or area under the receiver operating characteristic = 0.73). Model reduction through forward selection revealed that even a small set of factors (including those identified by RR and IDPA) predicted PTB. CONCLUSION These findings represent an important step toward identifying key factors, which can be assessed rapidly before/after conception, to predict risk of PTB, and perhaps other adverse pregnancy outcomes. Quantifying these factors, before, or early in pregnancy, could identify women at risk of delivering preterm, pinpoint mechanisms/targets for intervention, and facilitate the development of interventions to prevent PTB. KEY POINTS · Newly designed questionnaire used for rapid quantification of stress and psychosocial factors early during pregnancy.. · Deleterious factors predict increased preterm birth (PTB) risk.. · Protective factors predict decreased PTB risk..
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Becker
- Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
| | - Jonathan A. Mayo
- Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
| | - Nisha K. Phogat
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, Florida
| | - Cecele C. Quaintance
- Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
| | - Ana Laborde
- Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
| | - Lucy King
- Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Stanford, California
| | - Ian H. Gotlib
- Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Stanford, California
| | - Brice Gaudilliere
- Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
| | - Martin S. Angst
- Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
| | - Gary M. Shaw
- Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
| | - David K. Stevenson
- Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
| | - Nima Aghaeepour
- Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
| | - Firdaus S. Dhabhar
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, Florida
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Miller School of Medicine, Univ. of Miami, Miami, Florida
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11
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Kondracki AJ, Reddick B, Smith BE, Geller PA, Callands T, Barkin JL. Sociodemographic disparities in preterm birth and low birthweight in the State of Georgia: Results from the 2017-2018 Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System. J Rural Health 2023; 39:91-104. [PMID: 35504850 DOI: 10.1111/jrh.12668] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE To update the overall prevalence of preterm birth (PTB) (<37 weeks gestation) and low birthweight (LBW) (<2,500 g) in the State of Georgia, including rural and urban counties. METHODS A sample was drawn from the 2017-2018 Georgia Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS). In the complete-case data of singleton births (n=1,258), we estimated the weighted percentage prevalence of PTB, LBW, early/late PTB, and moderately/very LBW subcategories in association with maternal sociodemographic characteristics, and the prevalence stratified by rural/urban county of residence. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression models were fitted to estimate the odds ratios (ORs) of PTB and LBW adjusting for selected covariates. Logistic regression results from multiple imputation by chained equations (MICE) were used for comparison. FINDINGS The overall rate for PTB was 9.3% and 6.8% for LBW and among them, 2.3% were early PTB, 7.0% were late PTB, 5.4% were moderately LBW (MLBW), and 1.3% were very LBW (VLBW). Non-Hispanic Black women had the highest prevalence of PTB, LBW, early PTB, MLBW, and VLBW, as well as PTB and LBW in urban counties and LBW in rural counties. The odds of PTB (aOR 1.38; 95% CI: 0.81, 2.35) and LBW (aOR 2.68; 95% CI: 1.32, 5.43) were also higher among non-Hispanic Black relative to non-Hispanic White women and among women who received adequate-plus prenatal care compared to inadequate prenatal care. CONCLUSIONS Socioeconomic and health disparities created by disadvantage should be a focus of state policy to improve neonatal outcomes in the State of Georgia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony J Kondracki
- Department of Community Medicine, Mercer University School of Medicine, Savannah and Macon, Georgia, USA
| | - Bonzo Reddick
- Department of Community Medicine, Mercer University School of Medicine, Savannah and Macon, Georgia, USA
| | - Betsy E Smith
- Department of Internal Medicine, Mercer University School of Medicine, Macon, Georgia, USA
| | - Pamela A Geller
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Drexel University College of Arts and Sciences, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Tamora Callands
- Department of Health Promotion & Behavior College of Public Health, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA
| | - Jennifer L Barkin
- Department of Community Medicine, Mercer University School of Medicine, Savannah and Macon, Georgia, USA
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12
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Selvarajah S, Corona Maioli S, Deivanayagam TA, de Morais Sato P, Devakumar D, Kim SS, Wells JC, Yoseph M, Abubakar I, Paradies Y. Racism, xenophobia, and discrimination: mapping pathways to health outcomes. Lancet 2022; 400:2109-2124. [PMID: 36502849 DOI: 10.1016/s0140-6736(22)02484-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2020] [Revised: 10/06/2022] [Accepted: 11/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Despite being globally pervasive, racism, xenophobia, and discrimination are not universally recognised determinants of health. We challenge widespread beliefs related to the inevitability of increased mortality and morbidity associated with particular ethnicities and minoritised groups. In refuting that racial categories have a genetic basis and acknowledging that socioeconomic factors offer incomplete explanations in understanding these health disparities, we examine the pathways by which discrimination based on caste, ethnicity, Indigeneity, migratory status, race, religion, and skin colour affect health. Discrimination based on these categories, although having many unique historical and cultural contexts, operates in the same way, with overlapping pathways and health effects. We synthesise how such discrimination affects health systems, spatial determination, and communities, and how these processes manifest at the individual level, across the life course, and intergenerationally. We explore how individuals respond to and internalise these complex mechanisms psychologically, behaviourally, and physiologically. The evidence shows that racism, xenophobia, and discrimination affect a range of health outcomes across all ages around the world, and remain embedded within the universal challenges we face, from COVID-19 to the climate emergency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sujitha Selvarajah
- Institute for Global Health, University College London, London, UK; St George's Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.
| | | | - Thilagawathi Abi Deivanayagam
- Institute for Global Health, University College London, London, UK; Lancaster Medical School, Faculty of Health and Medicine, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK
| | | | - Delan Devakumar
- Institute for Global Health, University College London, London, UK
| | - Seung-Sup Kim
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Jonathan C Wells
- University College London Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, UK
| | - Marcella Yoseph
- Global Mental Health, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK; Sir Ketumile Masire Teaching Hospital, University of Botswana, Gaborone, Botswana
| | - Ibrahim Abubakar
- Institute for Global Health, University College London, London, UK
| | - Yin Paradies
- Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University, Melbourne VIC, Australia
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13
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Subedi S, Hazel EA, Mohan D, Zeger S, Mullany LC, Tielsch JM, Khatry SK, LeClerq SC, Black RE, Katz J. Prevalence and predictors of spontaneous preterm births in Nepal: findings from a prospective, population-based pregnancy cohort in rural Nepal-a secondary data analysis. BMJ Open 2022; 12:e066934. [PMID: 36456014 PMCID: PMC9716942 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2022-066934] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Preterm birth can have short-term and long-term complications for a child. Socioeconomic factors and pregnancy-related morbidities may be important to predict and prevent preterm births in low-resource settings. The objective of our study was to find prevalence and predictors of spontaneous preterm birth in rural Nepal. DESIGN This is a secondary observational analysis of trial data (registration number NCT01177111). SETTING Rural Sarlahi district, Nepal. PARTICIPANTS 40 119 pregnant women enrolled from 9 September 2010 to 16 January 2017. OUTCOME MEASURES The outcome variable is spontaneous preterm birth. Generalized Estimating Equations Poisson regression with robust variance was fitted to present effect estimates as risk ratios. RESULT The prevalence of spontaneous preterm birth was 14.5% (0.5% non-spontaneous). Characteristics not varying in pregnancy associated with increased risk of preterm birth were maternal age less than 18 years (adjusted risk ratio=1.13, 95% CI: 1.02 to 1.26); being Muslim (1.53, 1.16 to 2.01); first pregnancy (1.15, 1.04 to 1.28); multiple births (4.91, 4.20 to 5.75) and male child (1.10, 1.02 to 1.17). Those associated with decreased risk were maternal education >5 years (0.81, 0.73 to 0.90); maternal height ≥150 cm (0.89, 0.81 to 0.98) and being from wealthier families (0.83, 0.74 to 0.93). Pregnancy-related morbidities associated with increased risk of preterm birth were vaginal bleeding (1.53, 1.08 to 2.18); swelling (1.37, 1.17 to 1.60); high systolic blood pressure (BP) (1.47, 1.08 to 2.01) and high diastolic BP (1.41, 1.17 to 1.70) in the third trimester. Those associated with decreased risk were respiratory problem in the third trimester (0.86, 0.79 to 0.94); having poor appetite, nausea and vomiting in the second trimester (0.86, 0.80 to 0.92) and third trimester (0.86, 0.79 to 0.94); and higher weight gain from second to third trimester (0.89, 0.87 to 0.90). CONCLUSION The prevalence of preterm birth is high in rural Nepal. Interventions that increase maternal education may play a role. Monitoring morbidities during antenatal care to intervene to reduce them through an effective health system may help reduce preterm birth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seema Subedi
- Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Nepal Nutrition Intervention Project Sarlahi, Kathmandu, Nepal
| | - Elizabeth A Hazel
- Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Diwakar Mohan
- Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Scott Zeger
- Department of Biostatistics, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Luke C Mullany
- Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - James M Tielsch
- Department of Global Health, George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
| | | | - Steven C LeClerq
- Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Nepal Nutrition Intervention Project Sarlahi, Kathmandu, Nepal
| | - Robert E Black
- Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Joanne Katz
- Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
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14
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Hailu EM, Carmichael SL, Berkowitz RL, Snowden JM, Lyndon A, Main E, Mujahid MS. Racial/ethnic disparities in severe maternal morbidity: An intersectional lifecourse approach. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2022; 1518:239-248. [PMID: 36166238 PMCID: PMC11019852 DOI: 10.1111/nyas.14901] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Despite long-existing calls to address alarming racial/ethnic gaps in severe maternal morbidity (SMM), research that considers the impact of intersecting social inequities on SMM risk remains scarce. Invoking intersectionality theory, we sought to assess SMM risk at the nexus of racial/ethnic marginalization, weathering, and neighborhood/individual socioeconomic disadvantage. We used birth hospitalization records from California across 20 years (1997-2017, N = 9,806,406) on all live births ≥20 weeks gestation. We estimated adjusted average predicted probabilities of SMM at the combination of levels of race/ethnicity, age, and neighborhood deprivation or individual socioeconomic status (SES). The highest risk of SMM was observed among Black birthing people aged ≥35 years who either resided in the most deprived neighborhoods or had the lowest SES. Black birthing people conceptualized to be better off due to their social standing (aged 20-34 years and living in the least deprived neighborhoods or college graduates) had comparable and at times worse risk than White birthing people conceptualized to be worse off (aged ≥35 years and living in the most deprived neighborhoods or had a high-school degree or less). Our findings highlight the need to explicitly address structural racism as the driver of racial/ethnic health inequities and the imperative to incorporate intersectional approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elleni M Hailu
- Division of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA
| | - Suzan L Carmichael
- Division of Neonatal & Developmental Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, and Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine and Obstetrics, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, USA
| | - Rachel L Berkowitz
- Department of Public Health and Recreation, College of Health and Human Sciences, San Jose State University, San Jose, California, USA
| | - Jonathan M Snowden
- School of Public Health, Oregon Health & Science University-Portland State University, Portland, Oregon, USA
| | - Audrey Lyndon
- Rory Meyers College of Nursing, New York University, New York, New York, USA
| | - Elliott Main
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Mahasin S Mujahid
- Division of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA
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15
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Hailu EM, Maddali SR, Snowden JM, Carmichael SL, Mujahid MS. Structural racism and adverse maternal health outcomes: A systematic review. Health Place 2022; 78:102923. [PMID: 36401939 PMCID: PMC11216026 DOI: 10.1016/j.healthplace.2022.102923] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2022] [Revised: 08/19/2022] [Accepted: 09/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
In the United States, racial disparities in adverse maternal health outcomes remain a pressing issue, with Black women experiencing a 3-4 times higher risk of maternal mortality and a 2-3 times higher risk of severe maternal morbidity. Despite recent encouraging efforts, fundamental determinants of these alarming inequities (e.g. structural racism) remain understudied. Approaches that address these structural drivers are needed to then intervene upon root causes of adverse maternal outcomes and their disparities and to ultimately improve maternal health across the U.S. In this paper, we offer a conceptual framework for studies of structural racism and maternal health disparities and systematically synthesize the current empirical epidemiologic literature on the links between structural racism measures and adverse maternal health outcomes. For the systematic review, we searched electronic databases (Pubmed, Web of Science, and EMBASE) to identify peer-reviewed U.S. based quantitative articles published between 1990 and 2021 that assessed the link between measures of structural racism and indicators of maternal morbidity/mortality. Our search yielded 2394 studies and after removing duplicates, 1408 were included in the title and abstract screening, of which 18 were included in the full text screening. Only 6 studies met all the specified inclusion criteria for this review. Results revealed that depending on population sub-group analyzed, measures used, and covariates considered, there was evidence that structural racism may increase the risk of adverse maternal health outcomes. This review also highlighted several areas for methodological and theoretical development in this body of work. Future work should more comprehensively assess structural racism in a way that informs policy and interventions, which can ameliorate its negative consequences on racial/ethnic disparities in maternal morbidity/mortality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elleni M Hailu
- Division of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of California, 2121 Berkeley Way, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA.
| | - Sai Ramya Maddali
- Interdisciplinary Division, School of Public Health, University of California, 2121 Berkeley Way, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Jonathan M Snowden
- School of Public Health, Oregon Health & Science University-Portland State University, 1805 SW 4th Ave #623T, Portland, OR, 97201, USA
| | - Suzan L Carmichael
- Division of Neonatal & Developmental Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine and Obstetrics, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Stanford University School of Medicine, 3145 Porter Drive #A103, Palo Alto, CA, 94304, USA
| | - Mahasin S Mujahid
- Division of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of California, 2121 Berkeley Way, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
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16
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Headen IE, Elovitz MA, Battarbee AN, Lo JO, Debbink MP. Racism and perinatal health inequities research: where we have been and where we should go. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2022; 227:560-570. [PMID: 35597277 PMCID: PMC9529822 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajog.2022.05.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2021] [Revised: 05/16/2022] [Accepted: 05/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
For more than a century, substantial racial and ethnic inequities in perinatal health outcomes have persisted despite technical clinical advances and changes in public health practice that lowered the overall incidence of morbidity. Race is a social construct and not an inherent biologic or genetic reality; therefore, racial differences in health outcomes represent the consequences of structural racism or the inequitable distribution of opportunities for health along racialized lines. Clinicians and scientists in obstetrics and gynecology have a responsibility to work to eliminate health inequities for Black, Brown, and Indigenous birthing people, and fulfilling this responsibility requires actionable evidence from high-quality research. To generate this actionable evidence, the research community must realign paradigms, praxis, and infrastructure with an eye directed toward reproductive justice and antiracism. This special report offers a set of key recommendations as a roadmap to transform perinatal health research to achieve health equity. The recommendations are based on expert opinion and evidence presented at the State of the Science Research Symposium at the 41st Annual Pregnancy Meeting of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine in 2021. Recommendations fall into 3 broad categories-changing research paradigms, reforming research praxis, and transforming research infrastructure-and are grounded in a historic foundation of the advances and shortcomings of clinical, public health, and sociologic scholarship in health equity. Changing the research paradigm requires leveraging a multidisciplinary perspective on structural racism; promoting mechanistic research that identifies the biologic pathways perturbed by structural racism; and utilizing conceptual models that account for racism as a factor in adverse perinatal outcomes. Changing praxis approaches to promote and engage multidisciplinary teams and to develop standardized guidelines for data collection will ensure that paradigm shifts center the historically marginalized voices of Black, Brown, and Indigenous birthing people. Finally, infrastructure changes that embed community-centered approaches are required to make shifts in paradigm and praxis possible. Institutional policies that break down silos and support true community partnership, and also the alignment of institutional, funding, and academic publishing objectives with strategic priorities for perinatal health equity, are paramount. Achieving health equity requires shifting the structures that support the ecosystem of racism that Black, Brown, and Indigenous birthing people must navigate before, during, and after childbearing. These structures extend beyond the healthcare system in which clinicians operate day-to-day, but they cannot be excluded from research endeavors to create the actionable evidence needed to achieve perinatal health equity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irene E Headen
- Department of Community Health and Prevention, Dornsife School of Public Health, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Michal A Elovitz
- Center for Research in Reproduction and Women's health, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Microbiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Ashley N Battarbee
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL
| | - Jamie O Lo
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR
| | - Michelle P Debbink
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The University of Utah Health, Salt Lake City, UT.
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17
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Bauser-Heaton H, Aggarwal V, Graziano JN, Ligon RA, Keeshan B, Stapleton G, Sutton NJ, Fleming G, El-Said H, Kim D, Ing FF. Health Care Disparities in Congenital Cardiology: Considerations Through the Lens of an Interventional Cardiologist. JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR CARDIOVASCULAR ANGIOGRAPHY & INTERVENTIONS 2022; 1:100388. [PMID: 39131467 PMCID: PMC11308374 DOI: 10.1016/j.jscai.2022.100388] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2022] [Revised: 04/29/2022] [Accepted: 05/23/2022] [Indexed: 08/13/2024]
Abstract
When resources in a society are dispersed unevenly, generally through allocation standards, distinct patterns emerge along lines of socially defined categories of people. Power, religion, kinship, prestige, race, ethnicity, gender, age, sexual orientation, and class all play a role in determining who has access to social goods in society. In most cases, social inequality refers to a lack of equality of outcome, but it can also refer to a lack of equality of access to opportunity. Unfortunately, health care is not immune to these social disparities and/or inequalities. These health care disparities in interventional cardiology were recently brought to the forefront by the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI) as a major focus of 2020-2021. In a recent publication, unique factors leading to disparities were reported to exist among the subsections of interventional cardiology. The congenital heart disease council of SCAI created a task force to further investigate the unique challenges and disparities impacting the practice of congenital heart disease and pediatric cardiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Holly Bauser-Heaton
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Varun Aggarwal
- Division of Pediatric Cardiology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota
| | | | - R. Allen Ligon
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Britton Keeshan
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Pediatrics, Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Gary Stapleton
- Department of Cardiology, Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, Texas
| | - Nicole J. Sutton
- Division of Pediatric Cardiology, The Children’s Hospital at Montefiore, Bronx, New York
| | - Gregory Fleming
- Division of Pediatric Cardiology, Department of Pediatrics, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Howaida El-Said
- Division of Pediatric Cardiology, Rady Children’s Hospital, University of California, San Diego, California
| | - Dennis Kim
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Frank F. Ing
- Division of Pediatric Cardiology, Children’s Hospital, University of California Davis, Sacramento, California
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18
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Rocha ADS, Falcão IR, Teixeira CSS, Alves FJO, Ferreira AJF, Silva NDJ, Almeida MFD, Ribeiro-Silva RDC. Determinants of preterm birth: proposal for a hierarchical theoretical model. CIENCIA & SAUDE COLETIVA 2022. [DOI: 10.1590/1413-81232022278.03232022en] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract Preterm birth (PB) is a syndrome resulting from a complex relationship between multiple factors which do not have fully understood relationships and causality. This article discusses a hierarchical theoretical model of PB determinants, considering maternal characteristics such as sociodemographic, psychosocial, nutritional, behavioral and biological aspects, traditionally associated with increased risk of PB. The variables were distributed in six dimensions within three hierarchical levels (distal, intermediate and proximal). In this model, the socioeconomic determinants of the mother, family, household and neighborhood play indirect effects on PB through variables at the intermediate level, which in turn affect biological risk factors at the proximal level that have a direct effect on PB. The study presents a hierarchical theoretical model of the factors involved in the PB determination chain and their interrelationships. Understanding these interrelationships is an important step in trying to break the causal chain that makes some women vulnerable to preterm birth.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ila Rocha Falcão
- Universidade Federal da Bahia, Brazil; Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Brazil
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19
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Rocha ADS, Falcão IR, Teixeira CSS, Alves FJO, Ferreira AJF, Silva NDJ, Almeida MFD, Ribeiro-Silva RDC. Determinants of preterm birth: proposal for a hierarchical theoretical model. CIENCIA & SAUDE COLETIVA 2022; 27:3139-3152. [PMID: 35894325 DOI: 10.1590/1413-81232022278.03232022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2021] [Accepted: 05/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Preterm birth (PB) is a syndrome resulting from a complex relationship between multiple factors which do not have fully understood relationships and causality. This article discusses a hierarchical theoretical model of PB determinants, considering maternal characteristics such as sociodemographic, psychosocial, nutritional, behavioral and biological aspects, traditionally associated with increased risk of PB. The variables were distributed in six dimensions within three hierarchical levels (distal, intermediate and proximal). In this model, the socioeconomic determinants of the mother, family, household and neighborhood play indirect effects on PB through variables at the intermediate level, which in turn affect biological risk factors at the proximal level that have a direct effect on PB. The study presents a hierarchical theoretical model of the factors involved in the PB determination chain and their interrelationships. Understanding these interrelationships is an important step in trying to break the causal chain that makes some women vulnerable to preterm birth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aline Dos Santos Rocha
- Escola de Nutrição, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador. Centro de Integração de Dados e Conhecimentos para Saúde (Cidacs), Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. R. Mundo 121, ed. Tecnocentro, sl. 315, Trobogy. 41745-715 Salvador BA Brasil.
| | - Ila Rocha Falcão
- Escola de Nutrição, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador. Centro de Integração de Dados e Conhecimentos para Saúde (Cidacs), Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. R. Mundo 121, ed. Tecnocentro, sl. 315, Trobogy. 41745-715 Salvador BA Brasil.
| | - Camila Silveira Silva Teixeira
- Centro de Integração de Dados e Conhecimentos para Saúde (Cidacs), Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto de Saúde Coletiva, Universidade Federal da Bahia. Salvador BA Brasil
| | - Flávia Jôse Oliveira Alves
- Centro de Integração de Dados e Conhecimentos para Saúde (Cidacs), Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto de Saúde Coletiva, Universidade Federal da Bahia. Salvador BA Brasil
| | - Andrêa Jacqueline Fortes Ferreira
- Centro de Integração de Dados e Conhecimentos para Saúde (Cidacs), Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto de Saúde Coletiva, Universidade Federal da Bahia. Salvador BA Brasil
| | - Natanael de Jesus Silva
- Centro de Integração de Dados e Conhecimentos para Saúde (Cidacs), Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto de Saúde Global de Barcelona, Hospital Clínic. Barcelona Espanha
| | | | - Rita de Cássia Ribeiro-Silva
- Escola de Nutrição, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador. Centro de Integração de Dados e Conhecimentos para Saúde (Cidacs), Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. R. Mundo 121, ed. Tecnocentro, sl. 315, Trobogy. 41745-715 Salvador BA Brasil.
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20
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van Daalen KR, Kaiser J, Kebede S, Cipriano G, Maimouni H, Olumese E, Chui A, Kuhn I, Oliver-Williams C. Racial discrimination and adverse pregnancy outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ Glob Health 2022; 7:bmjgh-2022-009227. [PMID: 35918071 PMCID: PMC9344988 DOI: 10.1136/bmjgh-2022-009227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2022] [Accepted: 05/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction Racial discrimination has been consistently linked to various health outcomes and health disparities, including studies associating racial discrimination with patterns of racial disparities in adverse pregnancy outcomes. To expand our knowledge, this systematic review and meta-analysis assesses all available evidence on the association between self-reported racial discrimination and adverse pregnancy outcomes. Methods Eight electronic databases were searched without language or time restrictions, through January 2022. Data were extracted using a pre-piloted extraction tool. Quality assessment was conducted using the Newcastle–Ottawa Scale (NOS), and across all included studies using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach. Random effects meta-analyses were performed on preterm birth and small for gestational age. Heterogenicity was assessed using Cochran’s χ2 test and I2 statistic. Results Of 13 597 retrieved records, 24 articles were included. Studies included cohort, case–control and cross-sectional designs and were predominantly conducted in the USA (n=20). Across all outcomes, significant positive associations (between experiencing racial discrimination and an adverse pregnancy event) and non-significant associations (trending towards positive) were reported, with no studies reporting significant negative associations. The overall pooled odds ratio (OR) for preterm birth was 1.40 (95% CI 1.17 to 1.68; 13 studies) and for small for gestational age it was 1.23 (95% CI 0.76 to 1.99; 3 studies). When excluding low-quality studies, the preterm birth OR attenuated to 1.31 (95% CI 1.08 to 1.59; 10 studies). Similar results were obtained across sensitivity and subgroup analyses, indicating a significant positive association. Conclusion These results suggest that racial discrimination has adverse impacts on pregnancy outcomes. This is supported by the broader literature on racial discrimination as a risk factor for adverse health outcomes. To further explore this association and underlying mechanisms, including mediating and moderating factors, higher quality evidence from large ethnographically diverse cohorts is needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kim Robin van Daalen
- Cardiovascular Epidemiology Unit, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Cambridge University, Cambridge, UK
| | - Jeenan Kaiser
- Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Samuel Kebede
- Department of Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York City, USA
| | | | | | | | - Anthea Chui
- School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Isla Kuhn
- Medical Library, School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Clare Oliver-Williams
- Cardiovascular Epidemiology Unit, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Cambridge University, Cambridge, UK
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21
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Grant AD, Erickson EN. Birth, love, and fear: Physiological networks from pregnancy to parenthood. COMPREHENSIVE PSYCHONEUROENDOCRINOLOGY 2022; 11:100138. [PMID: 35757173 PMCID: PMC9227990 DOI: 10.1016/j.cpnec.2022.100138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2021] [Revised: 04/21/2022] [Accepted: 04/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Pregnancy and childbirth are among the most dramatic physiological and emotional transformations of a lifetime. Despite their central importance to human survival, many gaps remain in our understanding of the temporal progression of and mechanisms underlying the transition to new parenthood. The goal of this paper is to outline the physiological and emotional development of the maternal-infant dyad from late pregnancy to the postpartum period, and to provide a framework to investigate this development using non-invasive timeseries. We focus on the interaction among neuroendocrine, emotional, and autonomic outputs in the context of late pregnancy, parturition, and post-partum. We then propose that coupled dynamics in these outputs can be leveraged to map both physiologic and pathologic pregnancy, parturition, and parenthood. This approach could address gaps in our knowledge and enable early detection or prediction of problems, with both personalized depth and broad population scale.
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Affiliation(s)
- Azure D. Grant
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, CA, 94720, United States
- Levels Health Inc., 228 Park Ave. South, PMB 63877, New York, NY, 10003, United States
| | - Elise N. Erickson
- Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, 97239, United States
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22
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Curtis DS, Smith KR, Chae DH, Washburn T, Lee H, Kim J, Kramer MR. Highly public anti-Black violence and preterm birth odds for Black and White mothers. SSM Popul Health 2022; 18:101112. [PMID: 35535210 PMCID: PMC9077530 DOI: 10.1016/j.ssmph.2022.101112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2022] [Revised: 03/22/2022] [Accepted: 04/27/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Highly public anti-Black violence may increase preterm birth in the general population of pregnant women via stress-mediated paths, particularly Black women exposed in early gestation. To examine spillover from racial violence in the US, we included a total of 49 high publicity incidents of the following types: police lethal force toward Black persons, legal decisions not to indict/convict officers involved, and hate crime murders of Black victims. National search interest in these incidents was measured via Google Trends to proxy for public awareness of racial violence. Timing of racial violence was coded in relation to a three-month preconception period and subsequent pregnancy trimesters, with the primary hypothesis being that first trimester exposure is associated with higher preterm birth odds. The national sample included 1.6 million singleton live births to US-born Black mothers and 6.6 million births to US-born White mothers from 2014 to 2017. Using a preregistered analysis plan, findings show that Black mothers had 5% higher preterm birth odds when exposed to any high publicity racial incidents relative to none in their first trimester, and 2-3% higher preterm birth odds with each log10 increase in national interest. However, post hoc sensitivity tests that included month fixed effects attenuated these associations to null. For White mothers, associations were smaller but of a similar pattern, and were attenuated when including month fixed effects. Highly public anti-Black violence may act as a national stressor, yet whether racial violence is associated with reproductive outcomes in the population is unknown and merits further research.
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Affiliation(s)
- David S. Curtis
- Department of Family and Consumer Studies, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112, USA
| | - Ken R. Smith
- Department of Family and Consumer Studies, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112, USA
| | - David H. Chae
- Department of Global Community Health and Behavioral Sciences, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, 70112, USA
| | - Tessa Washburn
- Department of Family and Consumer Studies, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112, USA
| | - Hedwig Lee
- Department of Sociology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, 63130, USA
| | - Jaewhan Kim
- Department of Physical Therapy, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112, USA
| | - Michael R. Kramer
- Department of Epidemiology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
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23
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Kornfield SL, Riis VM, McCarthy C, Elovitz MA, Burris HH. Maternal perceived stress and the increased risk of preterm birth in a majority non-Hispanic Black pregnancy cohort. J Perinatol 2022; 42:708-713. [PMID: 34400775 PMCID: PMC8847548 DOI: 10.1038/s41372-021-01186-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2021] [Revised: 07/06/2021] [Accepted: 07/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To determine whether perceived stress is associated with preterm birth (PTB) and to investigate racial differences in stress and PTB. STUDY DESIGN A secondary analysis of a prospective cohort study of 1911 women with singleton pregnancies examined responses to psychosocial stress questionnaires at 16-20 weeks of gestation. RESULTS High perceived stress (19%) and PTB (10.8%) were prevalent in our sample (62% non-Hispanic Black). Women with PTB were more likely to be Black, have chronic hypertension (cHTN), pregestational diabetes, and higher BMI. Women with high perceived stress had more PTBs than those with lower stress (15.2% vs. 9.8%), and stress was associated with higher odds of PTB (aOR: 1.55, 95% CI: 1.09-2.19). CONCLUSION The significant association between high perceived stress and PTB suggests that prenatal interventions to reduce maternal stress could improve the mental health of pregnant women and may result in reduced rates of PTB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara L Kornfield
- Center for Women's Behavioral Wellness, Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
| | - Valerie M Riis
- Maternal and Child Health Research Center, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Clare McCarthy
- Maternal and Child Health Research Center, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Michal A Elovitz
- Maternal and Child Health Research Center, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Heather H Burris
- Maternal and Child Health Research Center, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Division of Neonatology, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
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24
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Ukoha EP, Snavely ME, Hahn MU, Steinauer JE, Bryant AS. Toward the elimination of race-based medicine: replace race with racism as preeclampsia risk factor. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2022; 227:593-596. [PMID: 35640703 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajog.2022.05.048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2022] [Revised: 05/17/2022] [Accepted: 05/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
Abstract
Pregnancy-related morbidity and mortality continue to disproportionately affect birthing people who identify as Black. The use of race-based risk factors in medicine exacerbates racial health inequities by insinuating a false conflation that fails to consider the underlying impact of racism. As we work toward health equity, we must remove race as a risk factor in our guidelines to address disparities due to racism. This includes the most recent US Preventive Services Taskforce, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine guidelines for aspirin prophylaxis in preeclampsia, where the risk factor for "Black race" should be replaced with "anti-Black racism." In this commentary, we reviewed the evidence that supports race as a sociopolitical construct and the health impacts of racism. We presented a call to action to remove racial determination in the guidelines for aspirin prophylaxis in preeclampsia and more broadly in our practice of medicine.
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25
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Nicholson N, Rhoades EA, Glade RE. Analysis of Health Disparities in the Screening and Diagnosis of Hearing Loss: Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Hearing Screening Follow-Up Survey. Am J Audiol 2022; 31:764-788. [PMID: 35613624 DOI: 10.1044/2022_aja-21-00014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to (a) provide introductory literature regarding cultural constructs, health disparities, and social determinants of health (SDoH); (b) summarize the literature regarding the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) Hearing Screening Follow-Up Survey (HSFS) data; (c) explore the CDC EHDI HSFS data regarding the contribution of maternal demographics to loss-to-follow-up/loss-to-documentation (LTF/D) between hearing screening and audiologic diagnosis for 2016, 2017, and 2018; and (d) examine these health disparities within the context of potential ethnoracial biases. METHOD This is a comprehensive narrative literature review of cultural constructs, hearing health disparities, and SDoH as they relate to the CDC EHDI HSFS data. We explore the maternal demographic data reported on the CDC EHDI website and report disparities for maternal age, education, ethnicity, and race for 2016, 2017, and 2018. We focus on LTF/D for screening and diagnosis within the context of racial and cultural bias. RESULTS A literature review demonstrates the increase in quality of the CDC EHDI HSFS data over the past 2 decades. LTF/D rates for hearing screening and audiologic diagnostic testing have improved from higher than 60% to current rates of less than 30%. Comparisons of diagnostic completion rates reported on the CDC website for the EHDI HSFS 2016, 2017, and 2018 data show trends for maternal age, education, and race, but not for ethnicity. Trends were defined as changes more than 10% for variables averaged over a 3-year period (2016-2018). CONCLUSIONS Although there have been significant improvements in LTF/D over the past 2 decades, there continue to be opportunities for further improvement. Beyond neonatal screening, delays continue to be reported in the diagnosis of young children with hearing loss. Notwithstanding the extraordinarily diverse families within the United States, the imperative is to minimize such delays so that all children with hearing loss can, at the very least, have auditory accessibility to spoken language by 3 months of age. Conscious awareness is essential before developing a potentially effective plan of action that might remediate the problem.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Rachel E. Glade
- Communication Science and Disorders, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville
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26
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Rocha AS, de Cássia Ribeiro-Silva R, Fiaccone RL, Paixao ES, Falcão IR, Alves FJO, Silva NJ, Ortelan N, Rodrigues LC, Ichihara MY, de Almeida MF, Barreto ML. Differences in risk factors for incident and recurrent preterm birth: a population-based linkage of 3.5 million births from the CIDACS birth cohort. BMC Med 2022; 20:111. [PMID: 35392917 PMCID: PMC8991880 DOI: 10.1186/s12916-022-02313-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2021] [Accepted: 02/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Preterm birth (PTB) is a syndrome resulting from a complex list of underlying causes and factors, and whether these risk factors differ in the context of prior PTB history is less understood. The aim of this study was to explore whether PTB risk factors in a second pregnancy were different in women with versus without previous PTB. METHODS We conducted a population-based cohort study using data from the birth cohort of the Center for Data and Knowledge Integration for Health (CIDACS) for the period 2001 to 2015. We used longitudinal transition models with multivariate logistic regression to investigate whether risk factors varied between incident and recurrent PTB. RESULTS A total of 3,528,050 live births from 1,764,025 multiparous women were analyzed. We identified different risk factors (Pdifference <0.05) between incident and recurrent PTB. The following were associated with an increased chance for PTB incidence, but not recurrent: household overcrowding (OR 1.09), maternal race/ethnicity [(Black/mixed-OR 1.04) and (indigenous-OR 1.34)], young maternal age (14 to 19 years-OR 1.16), and cesarean delivery (OR 1.09). The following were associated with both incident and recurrent PTB, respectively: single marital status (OR 0.85 vs 0.90), reduced number of prenatal visits [(no visit-OR 2.56 vs OR 2.16) and (1 to 3 visits-OR 2.44 vs OR 2.24)], short interbirth interval [(12 to 23 months-OR 1.04 vs OR 1.22) and (<12 months, OR 1.89, 95 vs OR 2.58)], and advanced maternal age (35-49 years-OR 1.42 vs OR 1.45). For most risk factors, the point estimates were higher for incident PTB than recurrent PTB. CONCLUSIONS The risk factors for PTB in the second pregnancy differed according to women's first pregnancy PTB status. The findings give the basis for the development of specific prevention strategies for PTB in a subsequent pregnancy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aline S Rocha
- School of Nutrition, Federal University of Bahia, Salvador, Brazil. .,Center for Data and Knowledge Integration for Health (CIDACS), Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Salvador, Brazil.
| | - Rita de Cássia Ribeiro-Silva
- School of Nutrition, Federal University of Bahia, Salvador, Brazil.,Center for Data and Knowledge Integration for Health (CIDACS), Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Salvador, Brazil
| | - Rosemeire L Fiaccone
- Center for Data and Knowledge Integration for Health (CIDACS), Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Salvador, Brazil.,Department of Statistics, Federal University of Bahia, Salvador, Brazil
| | - Enny S Paixao
- Center for Data and Knowledge Integration for Health (CIDACS), Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Salvador, Brazil.,Faculty of Epidemiology and Population Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Ila R Falcão
- School of Nutrition, Federal University of Bahia, Salvador, Brazil.,Center for Data and Knowledge Integration for Health (CIDACS), Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Salvador, Brazil
| | - Flavia Jôse O Alves
- Center for Data and Knowledge Integration for Health (CIDACS), Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Salvador, Brazil.,Institute of Collective Health, Federal University of Bahia, Salvador, Brazil
| | - Natanael J Silva
- Center for Data and Knowledge Integration for Health (CIDACS), Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Salvador, Brazil.,Barcelona Institute for Global Health, Hospital Clínic, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Naiá Ortelan
- Center for Data and Knowledge Integration for Health (CIDACS), Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Salvador, Brazil
| | - Laura C Rodrigues
- Center for Data and Knowledge Integration for Health (CIDACS), Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Salvador, Brazil.,Faculty of Epidemiology and Population Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Maria Yury Ichihara
- Center for Data and Knowledge Integration for Health (CIDACS), Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Salvador, Brazil
| | | | - Mauricio L Barreto
- Center for Data and Knowledge Integration for Health (CIDACS), Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Salvador, Brazil.,Institute of Collective Health, Federal University of Bahia, Salvador, Brazil
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27
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Park L, Gomaa N, Quinonez C. Racial/ethnic inequality in the association of allostatic load and dental caries in children. J Public Health Dent 2022; 82:239-246. [PMID: 34254682 DOI: 10.1111/jphd.12470] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2021] [Revised: 04/28/2021] [Accepted: 07/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Allostatic load (AL), defined as the overtime "wear and tear" on biological systems due to stress, disproportionately affects racial/ethnic minorities and has been shown to associate with racial inequality in oral health in the adult population. This study aims to assess racial/ethnic inequality in AL and untreated dental caries (UD) in children, and to assess the association between allostatic load and UD, and whether it varies by race/ethnicity. METHODS Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) (2001-2010) for 8-17-year-old children (n = 11,378) was used. AL scores were generated using cardiovascular, metabolic and immune biomarkers. Multivariable log binomial regression models adjusted for age, sex, poverty: income ratio (PIR), health insurance status and the frequency of healthcare visits, were used to assess the relationships of interest. RESULTS Racial/ethnic inequality was evident in UD and AL, where Mexican American and black children exhibited more UD and a higher AL score than white. AL was associated with UD in fully adjusted models. This association was significant across all racial/ethnic groups, but was stronger in Mexican American and black children, compared to their white counterparts. CONCLUSIONS Similar racial inequality is evident in AL and UD that is not explained by poverty and/or behavioral factors. Racial/ethnic inequality is also evident in the association between AL and UD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leslie Park
- Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Noha Gomaa
- Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Carlos Quinonez
- Faculty of Dentistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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28
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CURTIS DAVIDS, FULLER‐ROWELL THOMASE, CARLSON DANIELL, WEN MING, KRAMER MICHAELR. Does a Rising Median Income Lift All Birth Weights? County Median Income Changes and Low Birth Weight Rates Among Births to Black and White Mothers. Milbank Q 2022; 100:38-77. [PMID: 34609027 PMCID: PMC8932634 DOI: 10.1111/1468-0009.12532] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Policy Points Policies that increase county income levels, particularly for middle-income households, may reduce low birth weight rates and shrink disparities between Black and White infants. Given the role of aggregate maternal characteristics in predicting low birth weight rates, policies that increase human capital investments (e.g., funding for higher education, job training) could lead to higher income levels while improving population birth outcomes. The association between county income levels and racial disparities in low birth weight is independent of disparities in maternal risks, and thus a broad set of policies aimed at increasing income levels (e.g., income supplements, labor protections) may be warranted. CONTEXT Low birth weight (LBW; <2,500 grams) and infant mortality rates vary among place and racial group in the United States, with economic resources being a likely fundamental contributor to these disparities. The goals of this study were to examine time-varying county median income as a predictor of LBW rates and Black-White LBW disparities and to test county prevalence and racial disparities in maternal sociodemographic and health risk factors as mediators. METHODS Using national birth records for 1992-2014 from the National Center for Health Statistics, a total of approximately 27.4 million singleton births to non-Hispanic Black and White mothers were included. Data were aggregated in three-year county-period observations for 868 US counties meeting eligibility requirements (n = 3,723 observations). Sociodemographic factors included rates of low maternal education, nonmarital childbearing, teenage pregnancy, and advanced-age pregnancy; and health factors included rates of smoking during pregnancy and inadequate prenatal care. Among other covariates, linear models included county and period fixed effects and unemployment, poverty, and income inequality. FINDINGS An increase of $10,000 in county median income was associated with 0.34 fewer LBW cases per 100 live births and smaller Black-White LBW disparities of 0.58 per 100 births. Time-varying county rates of maternal sociodemographic and health risks mediated the association between median income and LBW, accounting for 65% and 25% of this estimate, respectively, but racial disparities in risk factors did not mediate the income association with Black-White LBW disparities. Similarly, county median income was associated with very low birth weight rates and related Black-White disparities. CONCLUSIONS Efforts to increase income levels-for example, through investing in human capital, enacting labor union protections, or attracting well-paying employment-have broad potential to influence population reproductive health. Higher income levels may reduce LBW rates and lead to more equitable outcomes between Black and White mothers.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - MING WEN
- University of UtahSalt Lake City
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29
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Ogunwole SM, Turkson-Ocran RAN, Boakye E, Creanga AA, Wang X, Bennett WL, Sharma G, Cooper LA, Commodore-Mensah Y. Disparities in cardiometabolic risk profiles and gestational diabetes mellitus by nativity and acculturation: findings from 2016-2017 National Health Interview Survey. BMJ Open Diabetes Res Care 2022; 10:e002329. [PMID: 35168940 PMCID: PMC8852664 DOI: 10.1136/bmjdrc-2021-002329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2021] [Accepted: 01/19/2022] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a common complication of pregnancy with implications for cardiovascular health. Among reproductive-aged women, less is known about nativity-related disparities in cardiometabolic risk profiles and GDM history. We examined how cardiometabolic risk profiles and GDM history differed by nativity and explored associations between acculturation, cardiometabolic risk profiles and GDM history. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We analyzed cross-sectional data from the 2016-2017 National Health Interview Survey among reproductive-aged women (18-49 years) who both reported ever being pregnant and answered the question on GDM history. Using multivariable logistic regression, we examined the percentage with GDM history and compared cardiometabolic profiles by nativity status and acculturation (duration of US residence). RESULTS Of 9525 women, 22.5% were foreign-born. Also, 11.7% of foreign-born women had a GDM history vs 9.6% of US-born women. Foreign-born women with ≥10 years US residence had the highest age-standardized percentage with GDM history (11.0%) compared with US-born women (9.2%) and foreign-born women with <10 years US residence (6.7%). US-born women had a higher prevalence of hypertension, current smoking, and alcohol use than foreign-born women. Among foreign-born women, those with ≥10 years US residence had a higher prevalence of hypertension, current smoking, and alcohol use than those with <10 years US residence. In the fully adjusted model, foreign-born women with ≥10 years US residence had higher odds of GDM history than US-born women (OR 1.43; 95% CI 1.17 to 1.76) while foreign-born women with <10 years US residence and US-born women has similar odds of GDM history. CONCLUSIONS Greater duration of US residence may be associated with nativity-related disparities in GDM. Acculturation, including changing health-related behaviors may explain the disparities among foreign-born women and should be further investigated to appropriately target interventions to prevent GDM and future cardiometabolic diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Michelle Ogunwole
- Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | | | - Ellen Boakye
- Ciccarone Center for Prevention of Cardiovascular Diseases, Division of Cardiology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Andreea A Creanga
- Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Xiaobin Wang
- Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Wendy L Bennett
- Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Garima Sharma
- Ciccarone Center for Prevention of Cardiovascular Diseases, Division of Cardiology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Lisa A Cooper
- Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Department of Health, Behavior and Society, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Yvonne Commodore-Mensah
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Department of Community-Public Health, Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
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Clarke LS, Riley HEM, Corwin EJ, Dunlop AL, Hogue CJR. The unique contribution of gendered racial stress to depressive symptoms among pregnant Black women. WOMEN'S HEALTH 2022; 18:17455057221104657. [PMID: 35900027 PMCID: PMC9340355 DOI: 10.1177/17455057221104657] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Introduction: Pregnant Black women are at disproportionate risk for adverse birth outcomes,
in part associated with higher prevalence of stress. Stress increases risk
of depression, a known risk factor for preterm birth. In addition, multiple
dimensions of stress, including perceived stress and stressful life events,
are associated with adverse birth outcomes, independent of their association
with prenatal depression. We use an intersectional and contextualized
measure of gendered racial stress to assess whether gendered racial stress
constitutes an additional dimension to prenatal depression, independent of
stressful life events and perceived stress. Methods: In this cross-sectional study of 428 Black women, we assessed gendered racial
stress (using the 39-item Jackson Hogue Phillips Reduced Common
Contextualized Stress Measure), perceived stress (using the Perceived Stress
Scale), and stressful life events (using a Stressful Life Event Index) as
psychosocial predictors of depressive symptoms (measured by the Edinburgh
Depression Scale). We used bivariate analyses and multivariable regression
to assess the association between the measures of stress and prenatal
depression. Results: Results revealed significant bivariate associations between participant
scores on the full Jackson Hogue Phillips Reduced Common Contextualized
Stress Measure and its 5 subscales, and the Edinburgh Depression Scale. In
multivariable models that included participant Perceived Stress Scale and/or
Stressful Life Event Index scores, the Jackson Hogue Phillips Reduced Common
Contextualized Stress Measure contributed uniquely and significantly to
Edinburgh Depression Scale score, with the burden subscale being the
strongest contributor among all variables. No sociodemographic
characteristics were found to be significant in multivariable models. Conclusion: For Black women in early pregnancy, gendered racial stress is a distinct
dimension of stress associated with increased depressive symptoms.
Intersectional stress measures may best uncover nuances within Black women’s
complex social environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lasha S Clarke
- Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Halley EM Riley
- Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | | | - Anne L Dunlop
- School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
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Keenan-Devlin L, Smart BP, Grobman W, Adams E, Freedman A, Buss C, Entringer S, Miller GE, Borders AEB. The intersection of race and socioeconomic status is associated with inflammation patterns during pregnancy and adverse pregnancy outcomes. Am J Reprod Immunol 2021; 87:e13489. [PMID: 34958140 DOI: 10.1111/aji.13489] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2021] [Revised: 07/13/2021] [Accepted: 07/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Preterm birth rates are higher among individuals of lower socioeconomic status and non-White race, which is possibly related to life-course stressors. It is important to better understand the underlying mechanisms of these health disparities, and inflammation is a possible pathway to explain the disparities in birth outcomes. OBJECTIVE In this study, we aimed to determine whether patterns of inflammation differed by maternal race and socioeconomic status. STUDY DESIGN 744 participants in a multi-site, prospective study of pregnancy and birth outcomes provided biological and psychological data between 12'0-20'6 weeks gestation. Participants with recent infection, fever, antibiotics or steroid treatment were excluded. Cytokines including INFɣ, IL-10, IL-13, IL-6, IL-8, and TNFα, and the acute phase protein CRP were measured in serum and values and were log-transformed for normality when appropriate and a non-orthogonal rotation (Oblimid) was performed to allow the extracted factor to inter-correlate. IFNγ, IL-8, IL-10, IL-6, TNF-a, and IL-13 loaded onto Inflammatory Factor 1 (IF-1), while CRP and IL-6 loaded onto Inflammatory Factor 2 (IF-2). Race and education were collected via self-report during an in-person study visit. Multivariable models were used to determine the association of race and SES with IF-1 and IF-2 during the second trimester, and a mediation model to examine if inflammation is on the causal pathway. Models were adjusted for study site, prenatal age, pre-pregnancy BMI, smoking during pregnancy, and gestational age at the time of blood collection. RESULTS 605 participants were included in our final analysis, with 61.2 % of low or moderate SES, and 35.5% identifying as a person of color (POC). Identifying as a POC, being of low and moderate SES, and being both low-SES and POC or Moderate-SES and POC were associated with higher odds of preterm birth and lower birth weight percentile infants. Low SES POC participants had significantly higher IF-1 and IF-2 scores when compared to high-SES White participants. Additionally, higher IF-1and IF-2 were associated with shorter gestation. In the mediation analysis, we observed a significant direct effect of race/SES on preterm birth, however the results did not support an indirect pathway where IF-1 or IF-2 acted as mediators. CONCLUSION Maternal race and SES are significantly associated with inflammatory biomarkers during pregnancy, and when race and SES are considered in combination, they are stronger predictors of adverse pregnancy outcomes than when evaluated separately. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren Keenan-Devlin
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, NorthShore University HealthSystem, University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, Evanston, IL
| | - Britney P Smart
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, NorthShore University HealthSystem, Evanston, IL
| | - William Grobman
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine; Center for Healthcare Studies - Institute for Public Health and Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL
| | - Emma Adams
- Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
| | - Alexa Freedman
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, NorthShore University HealthSystem, University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
| | - Claudia Buss
- UC Irvine Development, Health and Disease Research Program, University of California Irvine; Department of Medical Psychology, Charité, University Medicine Berlin, Germany
| | - Sonja Entringer
- Department of Medical Psychology, Charité, University Medicine Berlin, Germany
| | - Gregory E Miller
- Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
| | - Ann E B Borders
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, NorthShore University Health System, University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine; Center for Healthcare Studies-Institute for Public Health and Medicine, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
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Gailey S, Knudsen ES, Mortensen LH, Bruckner TA. Birth outcomes following unexpected job loss: a matched-sibling design. Int J Epidemiol 2021; 51:858-869. [PMID: 34508593 DOI: 10.1093/ije/dyab180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2020] [Accepted: 08/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Research documents social and economic antecedents of adverse birth outcomes, which may include involuntary job loss. Previous work on job loss and adverse birth outcomes, however, lacks high-quality individual data on, and variation in, plausibly exogenous job loss during pregnancy and therefore cannot rule out strong confounding. METHODS We analysed unique linked registries in Denmark, from 1980 to 2017, to examine whether a father's involuntary job loss during his spouse's pregnancy increases the risk of a low-weight (i.e. <2500 grams) and/or preterm (i.e. <37 weeks of gestational age) birth. We applied a matched-sibling design to 743 574 sibling pairs. RESULTS Results indicate an increased risk of a low-weight birth among infants exposed in utero to fathers' unexpected job loss [odds ratio (OR) = 1.37, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.07, 1.75]. Sex-specific analyses show that this result holds for males (OR = 1.70, 95% CI: 1.14, 2.53) but not females (OR = 1.24, 95% CI: 0.80, 1.91). We find no relation with preterm birth. CONCLUSIONS Findings support the inference that a father's unexpected job loss adversely affects the course of pregnancy, especially among males exposed in utero.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha Gailey
- Minnesota Population Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Elias Stapput Knudsen
- Department of Technology, Management, and Economics, Technical University of Denmark, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Laust H Mortensen
- Denmark Statistics, Copenhagen, Denmark.,Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Tim A Bruckner
- Program in Public Health, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA.,Center for Population, Inequality, and Policy, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
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Heys S, Downe S, Thomson G. 'I know my place'; a meta-ethnographic synthesis of disadvantaged and vulnerable women's negative experiences of maternity care in high-income countries. Midwifery 2021; 103:103123. [PMID: 34425255 DOI: 10.1016/j.midw.2021.103123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2020] [Revised: 05/24/2021] [Accepted: 08/03/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE During pregnancy and childbirth, vulnerable and disadvantaged women have poorer outcomes, have less opportunities,face barriers in accessing care,and are at a greater risk of experiencing a traumatic birth. A recent synthesis of women's negative experiences of maternity care gathered data from predominantly low-income countries. However, these studies did not focus on vulnerable groups, and are not easily transferable into high-income settings due to differences in maternity care provision. The aim of this study was to synthesise existing qualitative literature focused on disadvantaged and vulnerable women's experience of maternity care in high-income countries. METHODS A systematic literature search and meta-ethnographic methods were used. Search methods included searches on four databases, author run, and backward and forward chaining. Searches were conducted in March 2016 and updated in May 2020. FINDINGS A total of 13,330 articles were identified and following checks against inclusion / exclusion criteria and quality appraisal 20 studies were included. Meta-ethnographic translation analytical methods were used to identify reciprocal and refutational findings, and to undertake a line of argument synthesis. Three third order reciprocal constructs were identified, 'Prejudiced and deindividualized care', 'Interpersonal relationships and interactions' and 'Creating and enhancing insecurities.' A line of argument synthesis entitled 'I know my place' encapsulates the experiences of disadvantaged and vulnerable women across the studies, acknowledging differential care practices, stigma and judgmental attitudes. A refutational translation was conceptualised as 'Being seen, being heard' acknowledging positive aspects of maternity care reported by women. CONCLUSION Insights highlight how women's vulnerability was compounded by complex life factors, judgmental and stigmatizing attitudes by health professionals, and differential care provision. Further research is needed to identify suitable care pathways for disadvantaged and vulnerable women and the development of suitable training to highlight negative attitudes towards these women in maternity care settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie Heys
- School of Community Health and Midwifery, University of Central Lancashire, Preston PR1 2HE, Lancashire, England; The North West Ambulance Service, Ladybridge Hall HQ. Bolton, BL1 5DD.
| | - Soo Downe
- School of Community Health and Midwifery, University of Central Lancashire, Preston PR1 2HE, Lancashire, England; Research in Childbirth and Health/THRIVE Centre, University of Central Lancashire, Preston PR1 2HE, Lancashire, England.
| | - Gill Thomson
- Maternal and Infant Nutrition & Nurture Unit, University of Central Lancashire, Preston PR1 2HE, Lancashire, England; School of Education, Health and Social Studies, Dalarna University, Falun, Sweden.
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Goin DE, Gomez AM, Farkas K, Duarte C, Karasek D, Chambers BD, Jackson AV, Ahern J. Occurrence of fatal police violence during pregnancy and hazard of preterm birth in California. Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol 2021; 35:469-478. [PMID: 33689194 PMCID: PMC8243783 DOI: 10.1111/ppe.12753] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2020] [Revised: 12/30/2020] [Accepted: 01/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Exposure to fatal police violence may play a role in population-level inequities in risk for preterm delivery. OBJECTIVE To evaluate whether exposure to fatal police violence during pregnancy affects the hazard of preterm delivery and whether associations differ by race/ethnicity and fetal sex. METHODS We leveraged temporal variation in incidents of fatal police violence within census tracts to assess whether occurrence of fatal police violence in a person's tract during pregnancy was associated with increased hazard of extremely (20-27 weeks), early (28-31 weeks), moderate (32-33 weeks), and late (32-36 weeks) preterm delivery in California from 2007 to 2015. We used both death records and the Fatal Encounters database to identify incidents of fatal police violence. We estimated hazard ratios (HR) using time-varying Cox proportional hazard models stratified by census tract, controlling for age, race/ethnicity, educational attainment, health insurance type, parity, and the year and season of conception. We further stratified by race/ethnicity and infant sex to evaluate whether there were differential effects by these characteristics. RESULTS Exposure to an incident of fatal police violence was associated with a small increase in the hazard of late preterm birth using both the death records (N = 376,029; hazard ratio [HR] 1.05, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.00, 1.10) and the Fatal Encounters data (N = 938,814; HR 1.03, 95% CI 1.00, 1.06). We also observed an association for moderate preterm birth in the Fatal Encounters data (HR 1.06, 95% CI 0.98, 1.15). We did not observe associations for early or extremely preterm birth in either data source. Larger relative hazards of moderate (HR 1.25, 95% CI 0.93, 1.68) and late preterm delivery (HR 1.18, 95% CI 1.05, 1.33) were observed among Black birth parents with female births in the Fatal Encounters data. CONCLUSIONS Preventing police use of lethal force may reduce preterm delivery in communities where such violence occurs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dana E. Goin
- Division of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley
| | - Anu Manchikanti Gomez
- Sexual Health and Reproductive Equity Program, School of Social Welfare, University of California, Berkeley
| | - Kriszta Farkas
- Division of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley
| | - Catherine Duarte
- Division of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley
| | - Deborah Karasek
- Preterm Birth Initiative, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco
| | - Brittany D. Chambers
- Preterm Birth Initiative, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco
| | - Andrea V. Jackson
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco
| | - Jennifer Ahern
- Division of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley
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Oldenburg KS, Eaves LA, Smeester L, Santos HP, O'Shea TM, Fry RC. Development of the genomic inflammatory index (GII) to assess key maternal antecedents associated with placental inflammation. Placenta 2021; 111:82-90. [PMID: 34182215 DOI: 10.1016/j.placenta.2021.06.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2021] [Revised: 04/21/2021] [Accepted: 06/15/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Placental inflammation is associated with a variety of adverse health outcomes, including poor pregnancy outcomes as well as later in life health. The current clinical methodologies for evaluating placental histology for inflammation are limited in their sensitivity. The objective of this study was to develop a genomic inflammatory index (GII) that can be utilized as a biomarker to effectively quantify and evaluate placental inflammation. METHODS RNA-sequencing of n = 386 placentas from the Extremely Low Gestational Age Newborn (ELGAN) cohort was conducted. Transcriptional data for a biologically-targeted set of 14 genes, selected for their established role in pro-inflammatory signaling pathways, were aggregated to construct the GII. Multiple linear regression models were used to examine relationships between 47 perinatal factors and the GII. RESULTS The GII demonstrated a nine-fold difference across subjects and displayed positive trends with other indicators of placental inflammation. Significant differences in the GII were observed for race where women who self-identified as Black displayed higher levels of placental inflammation than those who self-identified as White women (p < 0.001). Additionally, married Black women showed reduced placental inflammation compared to those who were unmarried (beta value: 0.828, p-value: 0.032). Placentas from women who were treated with steroids during the delivery of the infant displayed higher GII levels than those who were not (p = 0.023). DISCUSSION Overall, the GII demonstrated an association between various perinatal factors and placental inflammation. It is anticipated that the GII will provide a novel genomics tool for quantifying placental inflammation, allowing for further investigation of causes, and ultimately the prevention, of inflammation in the placenta.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kirsi S Oldenburg
- Department of Environmental Sciences & Engineering, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Lauren A Eaves
- Department of Environmental Sciences & Engineering, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Lisa Smeester
- Department of Environmental Sciences & Engineering, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Institute for Environmental Health Solutions, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Hudson P Santos
- Department of Environmental Sciences & Engineering, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Institute for Environmental Health Solutions, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Biobehavioral Laboratory, School of Nursing, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - T Michael O'Shea
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Rebecca C Fry
- Department of Environmental Sciences & Engineering, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Institute for Environmental Health Solutions, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Curriculum in Toxicology and Environmental Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
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Stanhope KK, Suglia SF, Hogue CJR, Leon JS, Comeau DL, Kramer MR. Spatial Variation in Very Preterm Birth to Hispanic Women Across the United States: The Role of Intensified Immigration Enforcement. Ethn Dis 2021; 31:333-344. [PMID: 34045835 DOI: 10.18865/ed.31.s1.333] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction Limited existing research suggests that immigration climate and enforcement practices represent a social determinant of health for immigrants, their families, and communities. However, national research on the impact of specific policies is limited. The goal of this article is to estimate the effect of county-level participation in a 287(g) immigration enforcement agreement on very preterm birth (VPTB, <32 weeks' gestation) rates between 2005-2016 among US-born and foreign-born Hispanic women across the United States. Methods We fit spatial Bayesian models to estimate the effect of local participation in a 287(g) program on county VPTB rates, accounting for variation by maternal nativity, county ethnic density, and controlling for individual specific Hispanic background and nativity and county-level confounders. Results While there was no global effect of county participation in a 287(g) program on county VPTB rates, rates were slightly increased in some counties, primarily in the Southeast (Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina). Future Directions Future research should consider the mechanisms through which immigration policies and enforcement may impact health of both immigrants and wider communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaitlyn K Stanhope
- Emory University School of Medicine, Gynecology and Obstetrics, Atlanta, GA
| | - Shakira F Suglia
- Emory University, Rollins School of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology, Atlanta, GA
| | - Carol J R Hogue
- Emory University, Rollins School of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology, Atlanta, GA
| | - Juan S Leon
- Emory University, Rollins School of Public Health, Hubert Department of Global Health, Atlanta, GA
| | - Dawn L Comeau
- Emory University, Rollins School of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology, Atlanta, GA
| | - Michael R Kramer
- Emory University, Rollins School of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology, Atlanta, GA
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Yaeger JP, Jones J, Ertefaie A, Caserta MT, van Wijngaarden E, Fiscella K. Using Clinical History Factors to Identify Bacterial Infections in Young Febrile Infants. J Pediatr 2021; 232:192-199.e2. [PMID: 33421424 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2020.12.079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2020] [Revised: 12/30/2020] [Accepted: 12/31/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To develop a novel predictive model using primarily clinical history factors and compare performance to the widely used Rochester Low Risk (RLR) model. STUDY DESIGN In this cross-sectional study, we identified infants brought to one pediatric emergency department from January 2014 to December 2016. We included infants age 0-90 days, with temperature ≥38°C, and documented gestational age and illness duration. The primary outcome was bacterial infection. We used 10 predictors to develop regression and ensemble machine learning models, which we trained and tested using 10-fold cross-validation. We compared areas under the curve (AUCs), sensitivities, and specificities of the RLR, regression, and ensemble models. RESULTS Of 877 infants, 67 had a bacterial infection (7.6%). The AUCs of the RLR, regression, and ensemble models were 0.776 (95% CI 0.746, 0.807), 0.945 (0.913, 0.977), and 0.956 (0.935, 0.975), respectively. Using a bacterial infection risk threshold of .01, the sensitivity and specificity of the regression model was 94.6% (87.4%, 100%) and 74.5% (62.4%, 85.4%), compared with 95.5% (87.5%, 99.1%) and 59.6% (56.2%, 63.0%) using the RLR model. CONCLUSIONS Compared with the RLR model, sensitivities of the novel predictive models were similar whereas AUCs and specificities were significantly greater. If externally validated, these models, by producing an individualized bacterial infection risk estimate, may offer a targeted approach to young febrile infants that is noninvasive and inexpensive.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey P Yaeger
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, NY; Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY.
| | - Jeremiah Jones
- Department of Biostatistics and Computational Biology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY
| | - Ashkan Ertefaie
- Department of Biostatistics and Computational Biology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY
| | - Mary T Caserta
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, NY
| | - Edwin van Wijngaarden
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY
| | - Kevin Fiscella
- Department of Family Medicine, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, NY
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Mahrer NE, Guardino CM, Hobel C, Dunkel Schetter C. Maternal Stress Before Conception Is Associated with Shorter Gestation. Ann Behav Med 2021; 55:242-252. [PMID: 32686836 PMCID: PMC7980768 DOI: 10.1093/abm/kaaa047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Stress in pregnancy predicts adverse birth outcomes. Stressors occurring prior to conception may also pose risk for the mother and child. The few published studies on preconception stress test a single stress measure and examine only linear associations with birth outcomes. PURPOSE Guided by findings in the prenatal stress literature, the current study aimed to (i) identify latent factors from a set of preconception stress measures and (ii) examine linear and curvilinear associations between these stress factors and length of gestation. METHODS Study 1 utilized a sample of 2,637 racially/ethnically diverse women to develop a measurement model of maternal stress from assessments of seven acute and chronic stress measures. Factor analysis revealed three latent factors representing stressors (life events, financial strain, interpersonal violence, discrimination), stress appraisals (perceived stress, parenting stress), and chronic relationship stress (family, partner stress). Study 2 examined the associations of these three latent preconception stress factors with the length of gestation of a subsequent pregnancy in the subset of 360 women who became pregnant within 4.5 years. RESULTS Controlling for prenatal medical risks, there was a significant linear effect of stress appraisals on the length of gestation such that more perceived stress was associated with shorter gestation. There was a curvilinear effect of stressors on the length of gestation with moderate levels associated with longer gestation. CONCLUSIONS These results have implications for research on intergenerational origins of developmental adversities and may guide preconception prevention efforts. Findings also inform approaches to the study of stress as a multidimensional construct.
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Affiliation(s)
- N E Mahrer
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Psychology Department, University of La Verne, CA, USA
| | - C M Guardino
- Department of Psychology, Dickinson College, PA, USA
| | - C Hobel
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Cedars-Sinai, CA, USA
| | - C Dunkel Schetter
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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Green CA, Johnson JD, Vladutiu CJ, Manuck TA. The association between maternal and paternal race and preterm birth. Am J Obstet Gynecol MFM 2021; 3:100353. [PMID: 33757934 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajogmf.2021.100353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2021] [Accepted: 03/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Non-Hispanic black maternal race is a known risk factor for preterm birth. However, the contribution of paternal race is not as well established. OBJECTIVE We sought to evaluate the risk of preterm birth among non-Hispanic black, non-Hispanic white, and mixed non-Hispanic black and non-Hispanic white dyads. STUDY DESIGN This was a population-based cohort study of all live births in the United States from 2015 to 2017, using live birth records from the National Vital Statistics System. Singleton, nonanomalous infants whose live birth record included maternal and paternal self-reported race as either non-Hispanic white or non-Hispanic black were included. The primary outcome was preterm birth at <37 weeks' gestation; secondary outcomes included preterm birth at <34 and <28 weeks' gestation and delivery gestational age (as a continuous variable). Data were analyzed using chi-square, t test, analysis of variance, and logistic regression. A Kaplan-Meier survival curve was also generated. RESULTS There were 11,809,599 live births during the study period; 4,008,622 births met the inclusion criteria. Of included births, 291,647 (7.3%) occurred at <37 weeks' gestation. Using the convention of maternal race first followed by paternal race, preterm birth at <37 weeks' gestation was most common among non-Hispanic black and non-Hispanic black dyads (n=70,987 [10.8%]), followed by non-Hispanic black and non-Hispanic white (n=3137 [9.5%]), non-Hispanic white and non-Hispanic black (n=9136 [8.3%]), and non-Hispanic white and non-Hispanic white dyads (n=209,387 [6.5%]; P<.001 for trend). Births at <34 weeks' (n=74,474) and <28 weeks' gestation (n=18,474) were also more common among non-Hispanic black and non-Hispanic black dyads. Specifically, 24,351 (3.7%) non-Hispanic black and non-Hispanic black, 1017 (3.1%) non-Hispanic black and non-Hispanic white, 2408 (2.2%) non-Hispanic white and non-Hispanic black, and 46,698 non-Hispanic white and non-Hispanic white dyads delivered at <34 weeks' gestation, and 7988 non-Hispanic black and non-Hispanic black (1.2%), 313 (1.0%) non-Hispanic black and non-Hispanic white, 584 (0.5%) non-Hispanic white and non-Hispanic black, and 9589 (0.3%) non-Hispanic white and non-Hispanic white dyads delivered at <28 weeks' gestation. Non-Hispanic white and non-Hispanic white dyads delivered at a mean 38.8± standard deviation of 1.7 weeks' gestation, although non-Hispanic white and non-Hispanic black, non-Hispanic black and non-Hispanic white, and non-Hispanic black and non-Hispanic black dyads delivered at 38.6±2.0, 38.5±2.3, and 38.3±2.4 weeks' gestation, respectively (P<.001). Adjusted odds ratios for the association between maternal or paternal race and preterm birth were highest for non-Hispanic black and non-Hispanic black dyads at each gestational age cutoff: adjusted odds ratio, 1.60 (95% confidence interval, 1.11-1.19) (<37 weeks' gestation); adjusted odds ratio, 2.47 (95% confidence interval, 2.41-2.53) (<34 weeks' gestation); and adjusted odds ratio, 4.22 (95% confidence interval, 4.04-4.41) (<28 weeks' gestation) compared with the non-Hispanic white referent group. Models adjusted for insurance status, chronic hypertension, tobacco use during pregnancy, history of previous preterm birth, and male fetus. In the Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, non-Hispanic black and non-Hispanic black dyads delivered the earliest across the range of delivery gestational ages compared with all other combinations of dyads. CONCLUSION Non-Hispanic black paternal race is a risk factor for preterm birth and should be considered when evaluating maternal a priori risk of prematurity. Future research should investigate the mechanisms behind this finding, including determining the contribution of factors, such as racism, maternal and paternal genetics, and epigenetics to an individual's risk of preterm birth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Celeste A Green
- Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC (Drs Green, Johnson, Vladutiu, and Manuck)
| | - Jasmine D Johnson
- Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC (Drs Green, Johnson, Vladutiu, and Manuck)
| | - Catherine J Vladutiu
- Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC (Drs Green, Johnson, Vladutiu, and Manuck)
| | - Tracy A Manuck
- Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC (Drs Green, Johnson, Vladutiu, and Manuck); Institute for Environmental Health Solutions, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC (Dr Manuck).
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Fonseca JM, Silva AAM, Rocha PRH, Batista RLF, Thomaz EBAF, Lamy-Filho F, Barbieri MA, Bettiol H. Racial inequality in perinatal outcomes in two Brazilian birth cohorts. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2021; 54:e10120. [PMID: 33503156 PMCID: PMC7822460 DOI: 10.1590/1414-431x202010120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2020] [Accepted: 11/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
This study aimed to estimate and compare racial inequality in low birth weight (LBW), preterm birth (PTB), and intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) in two Brazilian birth cohorts. This was a cross-sectional study nested within two birth cohorts in Ribeirão Preto (RP) and São Luís (SL), whose mothers were interviewed from January to December 2010. In all, 7430 (RP) and 4995 (SL) mothers were interviewed. The maternal skin color was the exposure variable. Associations were adjusted for socioeconomic and biological covariates: maternal education, per capita family income, family economic classification, household head occupation, maternal age, parity, marital status, prenatal care, type of delivery, maternal pre-pregnancy BMI, hypertension, hypertension during pregnancy, and smoking during pregnancy collected from questionnaires applied at birth. Statistical analysis was done with the chi-squared test and logistic regression. In RP, newborns from mothers with black skin color had a higher risk of LBW and IUGR, even after adjusting for socioeconomic and biological variables (P<0.001). In SL, skin color was not a risk factor for LBW (P=0.859), PTB (P=0.220), and IUGR (P=0.062), before or after adjustment for socioeconomic and biological variables. The detection of racial inequality in these perinatal outcomes only in the RP cohort after adjustment for socioeconomic and biological factors may be reflecting the existence of racial discrimination in the RP society. In contrast, the greater miscegenation present in São Luís may be reflecting less racial discrimination of black and brown women in this city.
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Affiliation(s)
- J M Fonseca
- Departamento de Saúde Pública, Universidade Federal do Maranhão, São Luís, MA, Brasil
| | - A A M Silva
- Departamento de Saúde Pública, Universidade Federal do Maranhão, São Luís, MA, Brasil
| | - P R H Rocha
- Departamento de Pediatria e Puericultura, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brasil
| | - R L F Batista
- Departamento de Saúde Pública, Universidade Federal do Maranhão, São Luís, MA, Brasil
| | - E B A F Thomaz
- Departamento de Saúde Pública, Universidade Federal do Maranhão, São Luís, MA, Brasil
| | - F Lamy-Filho
- Departamento de Saúde Pública, Universidade Federal do Maranhão, São Luís, MA, Brasil
| | - M A Barbieri
- Departamento de Pediatria e Puericultura, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brasil
| | - H Bettiol
- Departamento de Pediatria e Puericultura, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brasil
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Dunlop AL, Essalmi AG, Alvalos L, Breton C, Camargo CA, Cowell WJ, Dabelea D, Dager SR, Duarte C, Elliott A, Fichorova R, Gern J, Hedderson MM, Thepaksorn EH, Huddleston K, Karagas MR, Kleinman K, Leve L, Li X, Li Y, Litonjua A, Ludena-Rodriguez Y, Madan JC, Nino JM, McEvoy C, O’Connor TG, Padula AM, Paneth N, Perera F, Sathyanarayana S, Schmidt RJ, Schultz RT, Snowden J, Stanford JB, Trasande L, Volk HE, Wheaton W, Wright RJ, McGrath M. Racial and geographic variation in effects of maternal education and neighborhood-level measures of socioeconomic status on gestational age at birth: Findings from the ECHO cohorts. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0245064. [PMID: 33418560 PMCID: PMC7794036 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0245064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2020] [Accepted: 12/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Preterm birth occurs at excessively high and disparate rates in the United States. In 2016, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) launched the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) program to investigate the influence of early life exposures on child health. Extant data from the ECHO cohorts provides the opportunity to examine racial and geographic variation in effects of individual- and neighborhood-level markers of socioeconomic status (SES) on gestational age at birth. The objective of this study was to examine the association between individual-level (maternal education) and neighborhood-level markers of SES and gestational age at birth, stratifying by maternal race/ethnicity, and whether any such associations are modified by US geographic region. Twenty-six ECHO cohorts representing 25,526 mother-infant pairs contributed to this disseminated meta-analysis that investigated the effect of maternal prenatal level of education (high school diploma, GED, or less; some college, associate's degree, vocational or technical training [reference category]; bachelor's degree, graduate school, or professional degree) and neighborhood-level markers of SES (census tract [CT] urbanicity, percentage of black population in CT, percentage of population below the federal poverty level in CT) on gestational age at birth (categorized as preterm, early term, full term [the reference category], late, and post term) according to maternal race/ethnicity and US region. Multinomial logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Cohort-specific results were meta-analyzed using a random effects model. For women overall, a bachelor's degree or above, compared with some college, was associated with a significantly decreased odds of preterm birth (aOR 0.72; 95% CI: 0.61-0.86), whereas a high school education or less was associated with an increased odds of early term birth (aOR 1.10, 95% CI: 1.00-1.21). When stratifying by maternal race/ethnicity, there were no significant associations between maternal education and gestational age at birth among women of racial/ethnic groups other than non-Hispanic white. Among non-Hispanic white women, a bachelor's degree or above was likewise associated with a significantly decreased odds of preterm birth (aOR 0.74 (95% CI: 0.58, 0.94) as well as a decreased odds of early term birth (aOR 0.84 (95% CI: 0.74, 0.95). The association between maternal education and gestational age at birth varied according to US region, with higher levels of maternal education associated with a significantly decreased odds of preterm birth in the Midwest and South but not in the Northeast and West. Non-Hispanic white women residing in rural compared to urban CTs had an increased odds of preterm birth; the ability to detect associations between neighborhood-level measures of SES and gestational age for other race/ethnic groups was limited due to small sample sizes within select strata. Interventions that promote higher educational attainment among women of reproductive age could contribute to a reduction in preterm birth, particularly in the US South and Midwest. Further individual-level analyses engaging a diverse set of cohorts are needed to disentangle the complex interrelationships among maternal education, neighborhood-level factors, exposures across the life course, and gestational age at birth outcomes by maternal race/ethnicity and US geography.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne L. Dunlop
- Woodruff Health Sciences Center, School of Medicine and Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Alicynne Glazier Essalmi
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, United States of America
| | - Lyndsay Alvalos
- Division of Research, Kaiser Permanente Northern California, Oakland, California, United States of America
| | - Carrie Breton
- Department of Preventive Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
| | - Carlos A. Camargo
- Department of Epidemiology Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Whitney J. Cowell
- Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Dana Dabelea
- Department of Epidemiology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Stephen R. Dager
- Department of Radiology and Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Cristiane Duarte
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Amy Elliott
- Avera Research Institute Center for Pediatric & Community Research, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States of America
| | - Raina Fichorova
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Biology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - James Gern
- Department of Medicine, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - Monique M. Hedderson
- Division of Research, Kaiser Permanente Northern California, Oakland, California, United States of America
| | - Elizabeth Hom Thepaksorn
- Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - Kathi Huddleston
- College of Health and Human Services, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Margaret R. Karagas
- Department of Epidemiology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, New Hampshire, United States of America
| | - Ken Kleinman
- Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Leslie Leve
- Prevention Science Institute, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, United States of America
| | - Ximin Li
- Department of Biostatistics, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland United States of America
| | - Yijun Li
- Department of Biostatistics, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland United States of America
| | - Augusto Litonjua
- Division of Pediatric Pulmonary Medicine, Golisano Children’s Hospital at Strong, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York, United States of America
| | - Yunin Ludena-Rodriguez
- Division of Environmental and Occupational Health, Public Health Sciences, School of Medicine, University of California, Davis, California, United States of America
| | - Juliette C. Madan
- Department of Epidemiology Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, Hanover, New Hampshire, United States of America
| | - Julio Mateus Nino
- Obstetrics and Gynecology, Maternal and Fetal Medicine, Atrium Health, Charlotte, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Cynthia McEvoy
- Division of Neonatal, Department of Pediatrics, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon, United States of America
| | - Thomas G. O’Connor
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York, United States of America
| | - Amy M. Padula
- Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - Nigel Paneth
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, United States of America
| | - Frederica Perera
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Sheela Sathyanarayana
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington & Seattle Children’s Research Institute, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Rebecca J. Schmidt
- Division of Environmental and Occupational Health, Public Health Sciences, School of Medicine, University of California, Davis, California, United States of America
| | - Robert T. Schultz
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Jessica Snowden
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Arkansas Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas, United States of America
| | - Joseph B. Stanford
- Department of Family Preventative Medicine, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, Utah, United States of America
| | - Leonardo Trasande
- Department of Pediatrics, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Heather E. Volk
- Department of Biostatistics, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland United States of America
| | - William Wheaton
- Science and Technology Program, RTI International, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Rosalind J. Wright
- Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Monica McGrath
- Department of Biostatistics, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland United States of America
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Gaining a deeper understanding of social determinants of preterm birth by integrating multi-omics data. Pediatr Res 2021; 89:336-343. [PMID: 33188285 PMCID: PMC7898277 DOI: 10.1038/s41390-020-01266-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2020] [Revised: 10/13/2020] [Accepted: 10/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
In the US, high rates of preterm birth (PTB) and profound Black-White disparities in PTB have persisted for decades. This review focuses on the role of social determinants of health (SDH), with an emphasis on maternal stress, in PTB disparity and biological embedding. It covers: (1) PTB disparity in US Black women and possible contributors; (2) the role of SDH, highlighting maternal stress, in the persistent racial disparity of PTB; (3) epigenetics at the interface between genes and environment; (4) the role of the genome in modifying maternal stress-PTB associations; (5) recent advances in multi-omics studies of PTB; and (6) future perspectives on integrating multi-omics with SDH to elucidate the Black-White disparity in PTB. Available studies have indicated that neither environmental exposures nor genetics alone can adequately explain the Black-White PTB disparity. Preliminary yet promising findings of epigenetic and gene-environment interaction studies underscore the value of integrating SDH with multi-omics in prospective birth cohort studies, especially among high-risk Black women. In an era of rapid advancements in biomedical sciences and technologies and a growing number of prospective birth cohort studies, we have unprecedented opportunities to advance this field and finally address the long history of health disparities in PTB. IMPACT: This review provides an overview of social determinants of health (SDH) with a focus on maternal stress and its role on Black-White disparity in preterm birth (PTB). It summarizes the available literature on the interplay of maternal stress with key biological layers (e.g., individual genome and epigenome in response to environmental stressors) and significant knowledge gaps. It offers perspectives that such knowledge may provide deeper insight into how SDH affects PTB and why some women are more vulnerable than others and underscores the critical need for integrating SDH with multi-omics in prospective birth cohort studies, especially among high-risk Black women.
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Gobaud AN, Kramer MR, Stearns ER, Haley DF. Measuring small-area violent crime: a comparison of observed versus model-estimated crime rates and preterm birth. Ann Epidemiol 2020; 55:27-33. [PMID: 33285260 DOI: 10.1016/j.annepidem.2020.11.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2020] [Revised: 10/24/2020] [Accepted: 11/30/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Research examining the association between crime and health outcomes has been hampered by a lack of reliable small-area (e.g., census tract or census block group) crime data. Our objective is to assess the accuracy of synthetically estimated crime indices for use in health research by using preterm birth as a case study. METHODS We used violent crime data reported by 47 law enforcement agencies in 15 counties in Atlanta, Georgia and compared them with commercially estimated crime rates from the same year to assess (1) how two measures of crime were correlated and (2) if the associations between violent crime rate indices and preterm birth (PTB) varied as a function of the source of crime index. To assess the association between violent crime and PTB, we used multilevel logistic regression and controlled for potential individual- and neighborhood-level confounders. RESULTS Violent crime, both estimated and observed, was positively correlated with poverty, neighborhood proportion Black, and neighborhood deprivation index; however, the association was stronger using estimated rates as compared with observed crime rates. The association between living in a high violent crime neighborhood and PTB was only consistent for white women across the two crime indices after covariate adjustment. For Black women, the association between living in a high violent crime neighborhood and PTB is systematically underestimated across all models when the estimated crime rate is used. CONCLUSIONS There is evidence that model-estimated crime rates are not reliable proxies for crime in an urban area even when appropriate confounders are adjusted for.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ariana N Gobaud
- Department of Epidemiology, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, NY.
| | - Michael R Kramer
- Department of Epidemiology, Emory University Rollins School of Public Health, Atlanta, GA
| | | | - Danielle F Haley
- Department of Community Health Sciences, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA
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Kasman AM, Bhambhvani HP, Li S, Zhang CA, Stevenson DK, Shaw GM, Simard JF, Eisenberg ML. Reproductive sequelae of parental severe illness before the pandemic: implications for the COVID-19 pandemic. Fertil Steril 2020; 114:1242-1249. [PMID: 33280730 PMCID: PMC7510413 DOI: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2020.09.153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2020] [Revised: 09/19/2020] [Accepted: 09/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To investigate, with pre-COVID-19 data, whether parental exposure to severe systemic infections near the time of conception is associated with pregnancy outcomes. DESIGN Retrospective cohort study. SETTING Population-based study covering births within the United States from 2009 to 2016. PARTICIPANTS The IBM MarketScan Research database covers reimbursed health care claims data on inpatient and outpatient encounters that are privately insured through employment-sponsored health insurance. Our analytic sample included pregnancies to paired fathers and mothers. INTERVENTIONS(S) Parental preconception exposure (0-6 months before conception) to severe systemic infection (e.g., sepsis, hypotension, respiratory failure, critical care evaluation). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S) Preterm birth (i.e., live birth before 37 weeks) and pregnancy loss. RESULT(S) A total of 999,866 pregnancies were recorded with 214,057 pregnancy losses (21.4%) and 51,759 preterm births (5.2%). Mothers receiving intensive care in the preconception period had increased risk of pregnancy loss, as did fathers. Mothers with preconception sepsis had higher risk of preterm birth and pregnancy loss, and paternal sepsis exposure was associated with an increased risk of pregnancy loss. Similar results were noted for hypotension. In addition, a dose response was observed for both mothers and fathers between preconception time in intensive care and the risk of preterm birth and pregnancy loss. CONCLUSION(S) In a pre-COVID-19 cohort, parental preconception severe systemic infection was associated with increased odds of preterm birth and pregnancy loss when conception was soon after the illness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex M Kasman
- Department of Urology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
| | - Hriday P Bhambhvani
- Department of Urology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
| | - Shufeng Li
- Department of Urology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
| | - Chiyuan A Zhang
- Department of Urology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
| | - David K Stevenson
- Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
| | - Gary M Shaw
- Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
| | - Julia F Simard
- Department of Epidemiology and Population Health, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
| | - Michael L Eisenberg
- Department of Urology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California.
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Clarke LS, Corwin E, Dunlop A, Hankus A, Bradner J, Paul S, Jiao Y, Smith AK, Patrushev N, Mulle J, Read TD, Hogue CJR, Pearce BD. Glucocorticoid receptor sensitivity in early pregnancy in an African American cohort. Am J Reprod Immunol 2020; 84:e13252. [PMID: 32320110 PMCID: PMC7416519 DOI: 10.1111/aji.13252] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2019] [Revised: 02/28/2020] [Accepted: 04/04/2020] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
PROBLEM Disruption in homeostatic feedback loops between inflammatory mediators and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is a key mechanism linking chronic stress to inflammation and adverse health outcomes, including those occurring during pregnancy. In particular, alterations in glucocorticoid sensitivity may occur as a result of chronic stress, including that due to racial discrimination, and may be implicated in the persistent adverse maternal and infant health outcomes experienced by African Americans. While there are a few large-scale studies in human pregnancy that measure both cytokines and HPA axis hormones, to our knowledge, none directly measure glucocorticoid sensitivity at the cellular level, especially in an African American population. METHOD OF STUDY We measured the full range of the dexamethasone (DEX) dose-response suppression of TNF-α in first-trimester blood samples from 408 African American women and estimated leukocyte cell type contribution to the production of TNF-α. RESULTS The mean (SD) DEX level needed to inhibit TNF-α production by 50% (ie, DEX IC50 ) was 9.8 (5.8) nmol/L. Monocytes appeared to be the main driver of Uninhibited TNF-α production, but monocyte counts explained only 14% of the variation. Monocyte counts were only weakly correlated with the DEX IC50 (r = -.11, P < .05). Moreover, there was no statistically significant correlation between the DEX IC50 and circulating pro-inflammatory (CRP, IL-6, IFN-γ) or anti-inflammatory (IL-10) mediators (P > .05). CONCLUSION These findings challenge some prior assumptions and position this comprehensive study of glucocorticoid sensitivity as an important anchor point in the growing recognition of interindividual variation in maternal HPA axis regulation and inflammatory responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lasha S Clarke
- Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, 1518 Clifton Rd, Atlanta, Georgia, 30322, USA
| | - Elizabeth Corwin
- Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, Emory University, 1520 Clifton Rd, Atlanta, Georgia, 30322, USA
| | - Anne Dunlop
- Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, Emory University, 1520 Clifton Rd, Atlanta, Georgia, 30322, USA
| | - Allison Hankus
- Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, 1518 Clifton Rd, Atlanta, Georgia, 30322, USA
| | - Josh Bradner
- Department of Environmental Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30322, USA
| | - Sudeshna Paul
- Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, Emory University, 1520 Clifton Rd, Atlanta, Georgia, 30322, USA
| | - Yunshen Jiao
- Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, 1518 Clifton Rd, Atlanta, Georgia, 30322, USA
| | - Alicia K Smith
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, 101 Woodruff Cir NE, Atlanta, Georgia, 30322, USA
| | - Nikolay Patrushev
- Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, Emory University, 1520 Clifton Rd, Atlanta, Georgia, 30322, USA
| | - Jennifer Mulle
- Department of Environmental Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30322, USA
| | - Timothy D Read
- Department of Medicine, Department of Infectious Diseases, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, 30322, USA
| | - Carol JR Hogue
- Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, 1518 Clifton Rd, Atlanta, Georgia, 30322, USA
| | - Bradley D Pearce
- Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, 1518 Clifton Rd, Atlanta, Georgia, 30322, USA
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Hamzah M, Othman HF, Daphtary K, Komarlu R, Aly H. Outcomes of truncus arteriosus repair and predictors of mortality. J Card Surg 2020; 35:1856-1864. [PMID: 32557823 DOI: 10.1111/jocs.14730] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to identify patient and hospitalization characteristics associated with in-hospital mortality in infants with truncus arteriosus. METHODS We conducted a retrospective analysis of a large administrative database, the National Inpatient Sample data set of the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project for the years 2002 to 2017. We also sought to evaluate the resource utilization in the subgroup of subjects with truncus arteriosus and 22q11.2 deletion syndrome. Neonates with truncus arteriosus were identified by ICD-9 and ICD-10 codes. Hospital and patient factors associated with inpatient mortality were analyzed. RESULTS Overall, 3009 neonates met inclusion criteria; a total of 326 patients died during the hospitalization (10.8%). Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation utilization was 7.1%. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to identify risk factors for in-hospital mortality. Significant risk factors for mortality were prematurity (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 2.43; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.40-4.22; P = .002), diagnosis of stroke (aOR = 26.2; 95% CI: 10.1-68.1; P < .001), necrotizing enterocolitis (aOR = 3.10; 95% CI: 1.24-7.74; P = .015) and presence of venous thrombosis (aOR = 13.5; 95% CI: 6.7-27.2; P < .001). Patients who received extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support or had cardiac catheterization procedure during the hospitalization had increased odds of mortality (aOR = 82.0; 95% CI: 44.5-151.4; P < .001, and aOR = 1.65; 95% CI: 0.98-2.77; P = .060, respectively). CONCLUSION 22q11.2 deletion syndrome was associated with an inverse risk of death despite having more noncardiac comorbidities; this patient subpopulation also had a higher length of stay and increased cost of hospitalization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammed Hamzah
- Department of Pediatric Critical Care, Cleveland Clinic Children's, Cleveland, Ohio
| | - Hasan F Othman
- Department of Pediatrics, Michigan State University/Sparrow Health System, Lansing, Michigan
| | - Kshama Daphtary
- Department of Pediatric Critical Care, Cleveland Clinic Children's, Cleveland, Ohio
| | - Rukmini Komarlu
- Department of Pediatric Cardiology, Cleveland Clinic Children's, Cleveland, Ohio
| | - Hany Aly
- Department of Neonatology, Cleveland Clinic Children's, Cleveland, Ohio
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Rohlfing AB, Nah G, Ryckman KK, Snyder BD, Kasarek D, Paynter RA, Feuer SK, Jelliffe-Pawlowski L, Parikh NI. Maternal cardiovascular disease risk factors as predictors of preterm birth in California: a case-control study. BMJ Open 2020; 10:e034145. [PMID: 32499261 PMCID: PMC7282308 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2019-034145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2019] [Revised: 03/18/2020] [Accepted: 04/22/2020] [Indexed: 11/03/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To determine whether maternal cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors predict preterm birth. DESIGN Case control. SETTING California hospitals. PARTICIPANTS 868 mothers with linked demographic information and biospecimens who delivered singleton births from July 2009 to December 2010. METHODS Logistic regression analysis was employed to calculate odds ratios for the associations between maternal CVD risk factors before and during pregnancy (including diabetes, hypertensive disorders and cholesterol levels) and preterm birth outcomes. PRIMARY OUTCOME Preterm delivery status. RESULTS Adjusting for the other maternal CVD risk factors of interest, all categories of hypertension led to increased odds of preterm birth, with the strongest magnitude observed in the pre-eclampsia group (adjusted OR (aOR), 13.49; 95% CI 6.01 to 30.27 for preterm birth; aOR, 10.62; 95% CI 4.58 to 24.60 for late preterm birth; aOR, 17.98; 95% CI 7.55 to 42.82 for early preterm birth) and chronic hypertension alone for early preterm birth (aOR, 4.58; 95% CI 1.40 to 15.05). Diabetes (types 1 and 2 and gestational) was also associated with threefold increased risk for preterm birth (aOR, 3.06; 95% CI 1.12 to 8.41). A significant and linear dose response was found between total and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and aORs for late and early preterm birth, with increasing cholesterol values associated with increased risk (likelihood χ2 differences of 8.422 and 8.019 for total cholesterol for late and early, and 9.169 and 10.896 for LDL for late and early, respectively). Receiver operating characteristic curves using these risk factors to predict late and early preterm birth produced C statistics of 0.601 and 0.686. CONCLUSION Traditional CVD risk factors are significantly associated with an increased risk of preterm birth; these findings reinforce the clinical importance of integrating obstetric and cardiovascular risk assessment across the healthcare continuum in women.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne B Rohlfing
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Gregory Nah
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | | | - Brittney D Snyder
- Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Deborah Kasarek
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Randi A Paynter
- Preterm Birth Initiative, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Sky K Feuer
- Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Laura Jelliffe-Pawlowski
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Nisha I Parikh
- Cardiology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
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Concepts in preterm birth research: Interview with a stakeholder. Placenta 2020; 98:3-5. [PMID: 33039029 DOI: 10.1016/j.placenta.2020.04.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2019] [Revised: 04/18/2020] [Accepted: 04/21/2020] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Preterm birth continues to be a clinical problem of vast significance all over the world [1,2]. The complexities of the biology of preterm birth suggest a syndrome with multiple factors that synchronize rupture of membranes, uterine contraction, cervical dilation, and labor. Multiple genetic, environmental, and basic biological factors are associated with preterm birth. Despite many years of effort, we still do not completely understand preterm birth, the basic mechanisms underlying parturition, or the relationship(s) between the two. My position has always been that breakthroughs in this area will come from an inclusive, integrative, and interdisciplinary approach that hears the voices of multiple stakeholders, encompasses "outside the box" thinking and utilizes novel methodologies. To document the voices of stakeholders, alternative thinking and the seeds of development of novel methodologies, I have begun to interview stakeholders in preterm birth. This is an interview with Ramkumar Menon, MS, PhD, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine & Perinatal Research, The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. Dr. Menon is past president and current Executive Director of PREBIC Global. He has surmounted considerable challenges to not only produce outstanding science from his own laboratory, but also to bring together collaborators and support from all over the world to bear upon the problem of preterm birth. What follows is an interview I did with him in 2014.
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Wallace ME, Crear-Perry J, Green C, Felker-Kantor E, Theall K. Privilege and deprivation in Detroit: infant mortality and the Index of Concentration at the Extremes. Int J Epidemiol 2020; 48:207-216. [PMID: 30052993 DOI: 10.1093/ije/dyy149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/22/2018] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Enhanced understanding of spatial social polarization as a determinant of infant mortality is critical to efforts aimed at advancing health equity. Our objective was to identify associations between spatial social polarization and risk of infant death. METHODS We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of all birth records issued to non-Hispanic (NH) Black and White women in Wayne County, MI, from 2010 to 2013 (n = 84 159), including linked death records for deaths occurring at less than 1 year of age. Spatial social polarization was measured in each Census tract of maternal residence (n = 599) using the Index of Concentration at the Extremes (ICE)-a joint measure of racial and economic segregation-estimated from American Community Survey 2009-2013 data. Log-Poisson regression models quantified relative risk (RR) of infant death (all-cause and cause-specific) associated with tertiles of the index, adjusting for maternal demographic characteristics and tract-level poverty. RESULTS The crude infant-mortality rate was more than 2-fold higher among NH Black infants compared with NH Whites (14.0 vs 5.9 deaths per 1000 live births). Half of the 845 infant deaths (72% NH Black, 28% NH White) occurred in tracts in the lowest tertile of the ICE distribution, representing areas of relative deprivation. After adjustments, risk of death among infants in the lowest tertile was 1.46 times greater than those in the highest tertile (adjusted infant-mortality rate = 3.7 deaths per 1000 live births in highest tertile vs 5.4 deaths per 1000 live births in lowest tertile, relative risk = 1.46, 95% confidence interval = 1.02, 2.09). Patterns of associations with the index differed by cause of death. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest efforts to support equitable community investments may reduce incidents of death and the disproportionate experience of loss among NH Black women.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maeve E Wallace
- Mary Amelia Douglas-Whited Community Women's Health Education Center, Department of Global Community Health and Behavioral Sciences, Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA.,National Birth Equity Collaborative, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | | | - Carmen Green
- National Birth Equity Collaborative, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - Erica Felker-Kantor
- Mary Amelia Douglas-Whited Community Women's Health Education Center, Department of Global Community Health and Behavioral Sciences, Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - Katherine Theall
- Mary Amelia Douglas-Whited Community Women's Health Education Center, Department of Global Community Health and Behavioral Sciences, Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA
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Stanhope KK, Hogue CJ. Stressful Life Events Among New Mothers in Georgia: Variation by Race, Ethnicity and Nativity. Matern Child Health J 2020; 24:447-455. [DOI: 10.1007/s10995-020-02886-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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