title: Impact of maternal age on preterm delivery and low birthweight: a hospital-based collaborative study of nulliparous Lebanese women in Greater Beirut.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To analyze the impact of maternal age at first childbirth on the incidence of preterm delivery and low birthweight among single live births delivered to nulliparous Lebanese women in Greater Beirut.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eligible subjects were selected from a consecutive sample of neonatal admissions to nine National Collaborative Perinatal Network participating hospitals over a three-year period (April 1, 1999 to March 31, 2002). Chi-square tests and logistic regression analyses were applied.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Out of 5556 nulliparous mothers, 5.4% had a preterm delivery and 5.2% a low-birthweight infant. In the multivariate analysis, preterm delivery was not significantly affected by old maternal age. Mothers aged 25 years or more remained a high-risk group for low birthweight even after controlling for potentially confounding characteristics.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Maternal age at first childbirth above 25 years is an independent risk factor for low birthweight, but not for preterm delivery, an outcome influenced mainly by obstetric complications.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut, Lebanon.
authors.forename: Hind
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Beydoun
authors.forename: Mohammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Itani
authors.forename: Hala
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tamim
authors.forename: Alia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Aaraj
authors.forename: Mustafa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Khogali
authors.forename: Khalid
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yunis
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007230:Infant, Low Birth Weight; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007861:Lebanon / Q000453:epidemiology; D016015:Logistic Models; D008423:Maternal Age; D007752:Obstetric Labor, Premature / Q000453:epidemiology*; D010298:Parity; D011247:Pregnancy; D018566:Pregnancy, High-Risk; D012307:Risk Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors