title: Infant mortality and the risk of small size for gestational age in the subsequent pregnancy: a retrospective cohort study.
abstract: To examine the association between prior infant mortality and subsequent risk for small for gestational age (SGA). This population-based, retrospective cohort study used the Missouri maternally linked, longitudinal dataset (1989-2005). Analyses were restricted to women who had two singleton pregnancies during the study period. Logistic regression was conducted to obtain adjusted odds ratios (AOR) and 95 % confidence intervals (CI) for the association between infant mortality in the first pregnancy and SGA in the second pregnancy. Women with a prior occurrence of infant death were more likely to be black and obese and had lower educational levels and had higher rates of pregnancy-related complications (p < 0.01). White women with previous infant mortality were at 1.46 times greater risk for SGA in the subsequent pregnancy (AOR = 1.46, 95 % CI = 1.24-1.71). For black women with prior infant death, the risk for SGA increased to 2.77 times (AOR = 2.77, 95 % CI = 2.19-3.51). White mothers who experienced infant mortality coupled with SGA in the first pregnancy had a nearly threefold heightened risk for SGA in the second pregnancy (AOR = 2.89, 95 % CI = 2.21-3.78), whereas black women with this history were more than four times as likely to have an infant with SGA (AOR = 4.60 95 % CI = 3.05-6.96). Prior occurrence of infant mortality is associated with increased risk for subsequent SGA. This finding has important implications for health professionals, as targeted inter-conception strategies for women who have experienced infant death, as well as SGA, may be warranted.
authors: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA. hsalihu@health.usf.edu
authors: Hamisu M
authors: HM
authors: Salihu
authors: Euna M
authors: EM
authors: August
authors: Cara
authors: C
authors: de la Cruz
authors: Mulubrhan F
authors: MF
authors: Mogos
authors: Hanna
authors: H
authors: Weldeselasse
authors: Amina P
authors: AP
authors: Alio
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015992:Body Mass Index; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D020073:Gravidity; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007226:Infant Mortality / Q000208:ethnology*; D007236:Infant, Small for Gestational Age; D016015:Logistic Models; D008923:Missouri / Q000453:epidemiology; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D050497:Stillbirth / Q000453:epidemiology