Area-level risk factors for adverse birth outcomes: trends in urban and rural settings.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Significant and persistent racial and income disparities in birth outcomes exist in the US. The analyses in this manuscript examine whether adverse birth outcome time trends and associations between area-level variables and adverse birth outcomes differ by urban-rural status.

Methods

Alabama births records were merged with ZIP code-level census measures of race, poverty, and rurality. B-splines were used to determine long-term preterm birth (PTB) and low birth weight (LBW) trends by rurality. Logistic regression models were used to examine differences in the relationships between ZIP code-level percent poverty or percent African-American with either PTB or LBW. Interactions with rurality were examined.

Results

Population dense areas had higher adverse birth

SUBMITTER: Kent ST 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3688345 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature