Sociodemographic factors associated with weekend birth and increased risk of neonatal mortality.
OBJECTIVE
To learn whether weekend risk of neonatal mortality is related to selected sociodemographic factors.


METHODS
A retrospective cohort design. Logistic regression was used to obtain odds ratios, and analysis of variance and chi-square to identify differences in values and incidence of key variables.


METHODS
The data were derived from matched Texas birth and infant death certificates from 1999 through 2001.


METHODS
A subset of deaths up to 28 days of life attributable to conditions originating in the perinatal period. These deaths were called neonatal mortality-p.


RESULTS
Women who were White, married, had Medicaid assistance, and had private prenatal care were less likely to deliver on weekends. Odds of neonatal mortality-p increased 36.5% when a birth took place on the weekend. The weekend crude odds of neonatal mortality-p increased for all racial/ethnic groups, but the differences were not statistically significant.


CONCLUSIONS
The likelihood of delivering on the weekend increases with certain sociodemographic factors. This fact is important because the risk of neonatal mortality is higher among weekend births.
Hamilton
Patti
P
College of Nursing, Texas Woman's University, Denton, TX 76011, USA. phamilton@twu.edu
Restrepo
Elizabeth
E
D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001723:Birth Rate; D003644:Death Certificates; D005260:Female; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007226:Infant Mortality; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007348:Insurance, Health; D016015:Logistic Models; D017533:Marital Status; D008423:Maternal Age; D008484:Medicaid; D008875:Middle Aged; D036801:Parturition; D011247:Pregnancy; D011295:Prenatal Care; D012307:Risk Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013781:Texas / Q000453:epidemiology; D013997:Time Factors; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*