Mediating roles of preterm birth and restricted fetal growth in the relationship between maternal education and infant mortality: A Danish population-based cohort study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Socioeconomic disparities in infant mortality have persisted for decades in high-income countries and may have become stronger in some populations. Therefore, new understandings of the mechanisms that underlie socioeconomic differences in infant deaths are essential for creating and implementing health initiatives to reduce these deaths. We aimed to explore whether and the extent to which preterm birth (PTB) and small for gestational age (SGA) at birth mediate the association between maternal education and infant mortality.

Methods and findings

We developed a population-based cohort study to include all 1,994,618 live singletons born in Denmark in 1981-2015. Infants were followed from birth until death, emigration, or the day before the first birthday, whichever c

SUBMITTER: Yu Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6568398 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature