Maternal age and the risk of low birthweight and pre-term delivery: a pan-Nordic comparison

Aradhya, SiddarthaStockholm University,Stockholms universitet,Sociologiska institutionen,Lund University, Lund, Sweden (author)

Maternal age and the risk of low birthweight and pre-term delivery : a pan-Nordic comparison

Background: Advanced maternal age at birth is considered a risk factor for adverse birth outcomes. A recent study applying a sibling design has shown, however, that the association might be confounded by unobserved maternal characteristics.Methods: Using total population register data on all live singleton births during the period 1999–2012 in Denmark (N = 580 133; 90% population coverage), Norway (N = 540 890) and Sweden (N = 941 403) and from 2001–2014 in Finland (N = 568 026), we test whether advanced maternal age at birth independently increases the risk of low birthweight (LBW) (<2500 g) and pre-term birth (<37 weeks gestation). We estimated within-family models to reduce confounding by unobserved maternal characteristics shared by siblings using three model specifications: Model 0 examines the bivariate association; Model 1 adjusts for parity and sex; Model 2 for parity, sex and birth year.Results: The main results (Model 1) show an increased risk in LBW and pre-term delivery with increasing maternal ages. For example, compared with maternal ages of 26–27 years, maternal ages of 38–39 years display a 2.2, 0.9, 2.1 and 2.4 percentage point increase in the risk of LBW in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden, respectively. The same patterns hold for pre-term delivery.Conclusions: Advanced maternal age is independently associated with higher risk of poor perinatal health outcomes even after adjusting for all observed and unobserved factors shared between siblings.

Tegunimataka, AnnaLund University,Lunds universitet,Centrum för ekonomisk demografi,Ekonomihögskolan,Ekonomisk-historiska institutionen,LU profilområde: Mänskliga rättigheter,Lunds universitets profilområden,Centre for Economic Demography,Lund University School of Economics and Management, LUSEM,Department of Economic History,Lund University School of Economics and Management, LUSEM,LU Profile Area: Human rights,Lund University Profile areas(Swepub:lu)ekh-atu (author)
Kravdal, ØysteinUniversity of Oslo (author)
Martikainen, PekkaMax Planck Institute for Demographic Research,University of Helsinki (author)
Myrskylä, MikkoUniversity of Helsinki,Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (author)
Barclay, Kieron,1986-Uppsala universitet,Stockholm University,Stockholms universitet,Sociologiska institutionen,Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany; Swedish Collegium for Advanced Study, Uppsala, Sweden,Swedish Collegium for Advanced Study (SCAS),Kollegiet för avancerade studier (SCAS)(Swepub:su)kbarc (author)
Goisis, AliceUniversity College London (author)
Stockholms universitetSociologiska institutionen (creator_code:org_t)

In:International Journal of Epidemiology: Oxford University Press (OUP)52:1, s. 156-1640300-57711464-3685

By the author/editor: Aradhya, Siddart ...; Tegunimataka, An ...; Kravdal, Øystein; Martikainen, Pek ...; Myrskylä, Mikko; Barclay, Kieron, ...; show more...; Goisis, Alice; show less...

About the subject

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES: MEDICAL AND HEAL ...; and Health Sciences; and Public Health Gl ...

SOCIAL SCIENCES: SOCIAL SCIENCES; and Economics and Bu ...; and Economic History

By the university: Stockholm University; Lund University; Uppsala University

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