Is limited access to obstetric services associated with adverse birth outcomes? A cross-sectional study of Korean national birth data.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

The geographical disparity in the access to essential obstetric services is a public health issue in many countries. We explored the association between timely access to obstetric services and the individual risk of adverse birth outcomes.

Design

Repeated cross-sectional design.

Setting

South Korean national birth data linked with a medical service provision database.

Participants

1 842 718 singleton livebirths from 2014 to 2018.

Primary outcome measures

Preterm birth (PTB), post-term birth, low birth weight (LBW) and macrosomia.

Results

In the study population, 9.3% of mothers lived in districts where the Time Relevance Index (TRI) was as low as the first quartile (40.6%). Overall PTB and post-term birth rates were 5.0% and 0.1%, respe

SUBMITTER: Min HS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9121485 | biostudies-literature | 2022 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature