Maternal Age and Low Birth Weight: A Reinterpretation of Their Association Under a Demographic Transition in Southern Brazil.
Summary of "Maternal Age and Low Birth Weight: A Reinterpretation of Their Association Under a Demographic Transition in Southern Brazil."
To evaluate the relationship between changes in fecundity rates and maternal age and the impact of maternal age on low birth weight (LBW) rates in a developed region in southern Brazil. A time series study evaluating birth weight and maternal ages through the born alive information system (SINASC) in Porto Alegre from 1996 to 2008. The Chi-square test for trends was used to evaluate the trend of LBW and fecundity rates at each maternal age. Population attributed risk (PAR) was used to calculate the impact of maternal age on LBW rates. The study included 271,100 newborns. There was a significant reduction in fecundity rates in all age groups younger than 34 years, but especially in the groups between 20 and 29 years. Overall LBW increased from 9.3 to 10.7 % (P < 0.001). The PAR for LBW showed a reduction in the group from 17 to 19 years (from 1.7 % in 1996-1999 to 0.1 % in 2004-2008), and an increase in the groups from 35 to 39 years (from 2.0 % in 1996-1999 to 2.3 % in 2004-2008) and above 40 (from 1.1 % in 1996-1999 to 1.5 % in 2004-2008). There was a significant change in fecundity pattern in the last 12 years in southern Brazil. Adolescent mothers were surpassed by mothers over 30 years of age in terms of vulnerability for LBW babies. The results show a change in the maternal age distribution towards older mothers, accompanied by an increasing incidence of LBW. This demographic transition also involved a paradoxical pattern with a remarkable reduction in fecundity rates in intermediate maternal age groups with concomitant increase in their risk for LBW.
Affiliation
Núcleo de Estudos de Saúde da Saúde da Criança e do Adolescente (NESCA), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Rua Ramiro Barcelos 2350, 10° andar (Serviço de Pediatria), Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, 90035-903, Brazil, clecio.homric
Journal Details
This article was published in the following journal.
Name: Maternal and child health journal
ISSN: 1573-6628
Pages:
Links
- PubMed Source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22535218
- DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10995-012-1030-y
Medical and Biotech [MESH] Definitions
Infant, Low Birth Weight
An infant having a birth weight of 2500 gm. (5.5 lb.) or less but INFANT, VERY LOW BIRTH WEIGHT is available for infants having a birth weight of 1500 grams (3.3 lb.) or less.
Health Transition
Demographic and epidemiologic changes that have occurred in the last five decades in many developing countries and that are characterized by major growth in the number and proportion of middle-aged and elderly persons and in the frequency of the diseases that occur in these age groups. The health transition is the result of efforts to improve maternal and child health via primary care and outreach services and such efforts have been responsible for a decrease in the birth rate; reduced maternal mortality; improved preventive services; reduced infant mortality, and the increased life expectancy that defines the transition. (From Ann Intern Med 1992 Mar 15;116(6):499-504)
Infant, Extremely Low Birth Weight
An infant whose weight at birth is less than 1000 grams (2.2 lbs), regardless of gestational age.
Infant, Very Low Birth Weight
An infant whose weight at birth is less than 1500 grams (3.3 lbs), regardless of gestational age.
Birth Weight
The mass or quantity of heaviness of an individual at BIRTH. It is expressed by units of pounds or kilograms.
PubMed Articles
Heritabilities and genetic correlations between birth weight (n = 13,741), adjusted 240-day weaning weight (WW, n = 8,806) and age at first calving (AFC, n = 3,955) of Brown Swiss cattle i...
MATERNAL SOCIOECONOMIC AND DEMOGRAPHIC FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH THE SEX RATIO AT BIRTH IN VIETNAM.
SummaryIn recent years Vietnam has experienced a high sex ratio at birth (SRB) amidst rapid socioeconomic and demographic changes. However, little is known about the differentials in SRB between mater...
To determine the prevalence of preterm birth from self-reports by Brazilian women, to assess complications, interventions and outcomes, to identify factors associated with preterm birth, and to improv...
Maternal Early Life Risk Factors for Offspring Birth Weight: Findings from the Add Health Study.
The aim of this study was to examine the pathways that link mothers' early life socio economic status (SES) and mothers' experience of childhood maltreatment with birth weight among their later born o...
Maternal Education, Birth Weight, and Infant Mortality in the United States.
This research determines whether the observed decline in infant mortality with socioeconomic level, operationalized as maternal education (dichotomized as college or more, versus high school or less),...
Clinical Trials
Effect of Tactile and Kinesthetic Stimulation on Very Low Birth Weight Preterm Infants
Two groups of preterm infants with birth weight equal to or less than 1500 grams will be studied. One group will receive the standard care and the other will receive standard care plus mat...
Nutrition in Pregnancy, Birth Weight, and Childhood Asthma
To evaluate the role of maternal diet and birth weight in the etiology of childhood asthma and other allergic disorders.
Maternal Obesity and Small for Gestational Age Infants
The purpose of this retrospective pilot study is to address the effect that obesity, in the absence of other comorbidities, has on birth weight. We wish to determine if obesity is a risk f...
Probiotics-Supplemented Feeding in Extremely Low Birth Weight Infants
The overall purpose of this research is to test whether adding a supplement to the feeding of extremely low birth weight infant (infants weighing less than 2 pound 2 oz at birth) will help...
Predictors of Maternal Weight Gain and Neonatal Body Composition
Obesity is a significant health issue in the United States with 30% of the US population considered obese defined as a body mass index above 30 kg/m2. Obesity is associated with long term...
