Adequacy of prenatal care and neonatal mortality in infants born to mothers with and without antenatal high-risk conditions.
BACKGROUND
Previous studies have found that inadequate prenatal care was associated with increased neonatal mortality in the general pregnant women.


OBJECTIVE
To examine the association between adequacy of prenatal care and neonatal mortality in the presence and absence of antenatal high-risk conditions.


METHODS
We conducted a retrospective cohort study of infants based on 1995-2000 vital statistics data in the USA. The relative risk for neonatal death associated with adequacy of prenatal care was estimated by multivariate logistic regressions with adjustment of confounding factors.


RESULTS
Inadequate prenatal care was associated with increased neonatal mortality when pregnancies were complicated by anaemia, cardiac disease, lung disease, chronic hypertension, diabetes, renal disease, pregnancy-induced hypertension, and previous preterm/small-for-gestational-age birth. The observed association also existed in the absence of these antenatal high-risk conditions. Overutilisation of prenatal care was associated with increased risk of neonatal deaths in both the presence and the absence of antenatal high-risk conditions. When gestational age at delivery and birthweight were further adjusted, the observed association between inadequate prenatal care and neonatal mortality was not significant in pregnancies with various high-risk conditions.


CONCLUSIONS
Inadequate prenatal care is associated with increased neonatal death in both the presence and the absence of antenatal high-risk conditions. The observed association between inadequate prenatal care and neonatal mortality may be mediated by increased risk of preterm delivery and low birthweight in these pregnancies. Overutilisation of prenatal care is associated with potential risks for fetal and neonatal development, leading to increased neonatal mortality.
Chen
Xi-Kuan
XK
OMNI Research Group, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Wen
Shi Wu
SW
Yang
Qiuying
Q
Walker
Mark C
MC
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007226:Infant Mortality; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D017533:Marital Status; D008423:Maternal Age; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000208:ethnology / Q000628:therapy*; D011295:Prenatal Care / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D044465:White People