The risk of preterm delivery in women from different ethnic groups.
OBJECTIVE
To examine whether routinely measured variables explained the increased risk of preterm delivery in some UK ethnic groups.


METHODS
Cross sectional study of deliveries recorded in the Child Health Record System.


METHODS
North Birmingham, UK.


METHODS
All North Birmingham women delivering singletons, 1994-1997 inclusive.


METHODS
Logistic regression.


METHODS
Odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for preterm delivery, defined as less than 37 weeks, less than 34 weeks and less than 28 weeks, unadjusted and adjusted for maternal age, an area-based socio-economic status measure, and marital status, year of birth, fetal sex and past obstetric history.


RESULTS
For Afro-Caribbean women, the ORs (95% CIs) were: for delivery less than 37 weeks, 1.44 (1.26-1.64) unadjusted and 1.22 (1.07-1.41) adjusted; for delivery less than 34 weeks, 1.55 (1.25-1.92) unadjusted and 1.29 (1.02-1.61) adjusted; for delivery less than 28 weeks, 1.66 (1.08-2.55) unadjusted and 1.32 (0.84-2.06) adjusted. For African women, the risk of delivery less than 37 weeks was not significantly raised; for delivery less than 34 weeks, the OR (95% CI) was 1.88 (0.99-3.58) unadjusted and 1.78 (0.93-3.40) adjusted; for delivery less than 28 weeks, the OR (95% CI) was 4.02 (1.60-10.12) unadjusted and 4.10 (1.66-10.16) adjusted. In Afro-Caribbeans, deprivation and marital status explained the differences between the unadjusted and adjusted ORs. There was a linear relation between deprivation and preterm delivery for all ethnic groups, except for Asians.


CONCLUSIONS
Factors associated with deprivation and marital status explain about half of the excess of preterm births in Afro-Caribbeans, but not Africans. The risk of preterm delivery might not be related to deprivation in Asians.
Department of Public Health and Epidemiology, University of Birmingham, UK.
Paul
P
Aveyard
K K
KK
Cheng
Semira
S
Manaseki
Jason
J
Gardosi
D000349:Africa / Q000208:ethnology; D001208:Asia / Q000208:ethnology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004739:England / Q000453:epidemiology; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D017533:Marital Status / Q000208:ethnology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D007752:Obstetric Labor, Premature / Q000208:ethnology*; D011203:Poverty / Q000208:ethnology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011247:Pregnancy; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014900:West Indies / Q000208:ethnology