biostudies-literatureZeitlin JEuropean Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programmeEuropean Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programmei58-i66https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC11215324biostudies-literatureUnknown34(Supplement_1)<h4>Background</h4>Despite concerns about worsening pregnancy outcomes resulting from healthcare restrictions, economic difficulties and increased stress during the COVID-19 pandemic, preterm birth (PTB) rates declined in some countries in 2020, while stillbirth rates appeared stable. Like other shocks, the pandemic may have exacerbated existing socioeconomic disparities in pregnancy, but this remains to be established. Our objective was to investigate changes in PTB and stillbirth by socioeconomic status (SES) in European countries.<h4>Methods</h4>The Euro-Peristat network implemented this study within the Population Health Information Research Infrastructure (PHIRI) project. A common data model was developed to collect aggregated tables from routine birth data for 2015-2020. SES was baseEuropean journal of public healthSocioeconomic disparities in changes to preterm birth and stillbirth rates during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic: a study of 21 European countries.PMC11215324101018317Williams MRodriguez-Blazquez CSziller IBogaert PDias CChantry ASantos RFDaubresse PGatt MDegelsegger-Marquez AMaryniak PFernandez-Elorriaga MScoutellas VZiese TVidal MJBarros HGomez ILSandu PJane MPries CMierzejewska ERodrigues CPaulo MSValero TGissler MMortensen LKornel TWhite PBon DKlungsoyr KAldridge SBerger-Symons LTica VDevleesschauwer BMontez TDankova SAilish KVilain AHindori-Mohangoo ATelleria CFresson JLozan ODurox MBilly ACap JMisselwitz BFekete EForland FBezzegh PBlondel BRodin URacape JBacelar-Nicolau LKrstic MGrabenhofer-Eggerth AZurriaga OCalleja NSikora ISeral MVukovic JRamis RRihs TSakkeus LLagarija SCBroeders LCahill ATolonen HMakovski TZile IBoldrini RMedaveric ACsizmadia IPeyroteo MEstupinan FPappagallo MWeiss JSmyth BScott SMurphy JIdavain JEuro-Peristat Research Group and the Population Health Information Research InfrastructureEiriksdottir VHKrzywania TLapao LDonati SSyden LWeber Gde Vries MGomez VDe Ridder KZaletel MHeller GHabl CPiper MMcConnell HZeitlin JForjaz MJDerycke PAbuladze Lde Lizoreux BMAmyx MAnderson DLopez-Cuadrado TAntsaklis APastore JAstrauskiene ADolanski LLucovnik MPhilibert MVerdenik IVyncke KAkbari AGottlob AHabimana KCarcaillon-Bentata LBric TKLarrauri AHilderink HBrinduse LToll AAkerkar RJordanova EAlcaide ARPentz RHaneef RTijhuis MUnim BHaaheim HFehr ALyons RVandervelpen GNyman ALaunag RMortensen LHMajek OCourtney MIsakova JFarr AThomas CPalmieri LLecomte AVorobjov SCucu AGruber BHansen AVGaftonie EGKolarova RZelviene AAchterberg PStrozyk MNeves LODSagerschnig SBudianu MALarose TVan de Catsyne CAChileva ADimnjakovic JLingri DMarin MGunnarsdottir JGramme RSzamotulska KSchutte NMilbeck SOlafsdottir HSSchmidt AButtigieg DGarcia-Armesto SVelebil PPuscasiu LClarke SClarke PLoghi MWisniewski TJirova JHorga MAbboud LKearns KEngjom HZile-Velika IDrausnik ZHeino AMisins JGarces RLNogueira PGaidelyte RRadulescu SKallen KCuttini MTharaux CDNijhuis JAzpiazu JGPeralta-Santos AAngulo-Pueyo EMakinen MSeeling SGarriga CHolz DMDiaz AKyprianou TAlexander SVinko MThißen MGarcia JGNordeng ZDrogon KZhang WHGeorgakopoulou CFaragalli AKlimont JKappala SSaso MDelnord MPetelos EMathis-Edenhofer SPaciorek KSmith LBernal-Delgado EHocquette AWegrzyn KRatsep MMorgan SLionis CCsaba KMacfarlane ALang RMagill SMonteath KfalseSocioeconomic disparities in changes to preterm birth and stillbirth rates during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic: a study of 21 European countries.<h4>Background</h4>Despite concerns about worsening pregnancy outcomes resulting from healthcare restrictions, economic difficulties and increased stress during the COVID-19 pandemic, preterm birth (PTB) rates declined in some countries in 2020, while stillbirth rates appeared stable. Like other shocks, the pandemic may have exacerbated existing socioeconomic disparities in pregnancy, but this remains to be established. Our objective was to investigate changes in PTB and stillbirth by socioeconomic status (SES) in European countries.<h4>Methods</h4>The Euro-Peristat network implemented this study within the Population Health Information Research Infrastructure (PHIRI) project. A common data model was developed to collect aggregated tables from routine birth data for 2015-2020. SES was base2024-01-01T00:00:00Z2024 Jul2025-04-18T15:28:25.263Z2025-04-07T02:12:53.689ZS-EPMC112153243894645010.1093/eurpub/ckad186