Impact of Marital Status and Interpregnancy Interval on Small for Gestational Age Births
Author Information
Author(s): Nathalie Auger, Mark Daniel, Robert W. Platt, Zhong-Cheng Luo, Yuquan Wu, Robert Choinière
Primary Institution: Institut national de santé publique du Québec
Hypothesis
How do marital status and interpregnancy interval affect the likelihood of small for gestational age births?
Conclusion
Being unmarried increases the likelihood of small for gestational age birth as the interpregnancy interval shortens.
Supporting Evidence
- Unmarried mothers had a higher proportion of small for gestational age births (10.1%) compared to married mothers (8.6%).
- Subsequent births had a lower likelihood of being small for gestational age than firstborns.
- Intermediate interpregnancy intervals were more protective for married mothers than unmarried mothers.
Takeaway
If a mom is not married, her baby is more likely to be smaller than expected, especially if she has babies close together.
Methodology
Analyzed a cohort of 98,330 live births using multilevel logistic regression.
Potential Biases
Potential unmeasured socio-economic status indicators may confound results.
Limitations
Broad categorizations of marital status and interpregnancy interval may mask underlying associations.
Participant Demographics
Mothers included both Canadian-born and foreign-born, with a significant proportion being unmarried.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.0001
Confidence Interval
95% CI 1.31–1.95 for short IPI, 95% CI 1.26–1.74 for intermediate IPI
Statistical Significance
p<0.0001
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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