title: Who Should Be Targeted for the Prevention of Birth Defects? A Latent Class Analysis Based on a Large, Population-Based, Cross-Sectional Study in Shaanxi Province, Western China.
abstract: The wide range and complex combinations of factors that cause birth defects impede the development of primary prevention strategies targeted at high-risk subpopulations.
  
  
  
  Latent class analysis (LCA) was conducted to identify mutually exclusive profiles of factors associated with birth defects among women between 15 and 49 years of age using data from a large, population-based, cross-sectional study conducted in Shaanxi Province, western China, between August and October, 2013. The odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of associated factors and the latent profiles of indicators of birth defects and congenital heart defects were computed using a logistic regression model.
  
  
  
  Five discrete subpopulations of participants were identified as follows: No folic acid supplementation in the periconceptional period (reference class, 21.37%); low maternal education level + unhealthy lifestyle (class 2, 39.75%); low maternal education level + unhealthy lifestyle + disease (class 3, 23.71%); unhealthy maternal lifestyle + advanced age (class 4, 4.71%); and multi-risk factor exposure (class 5, 10.45%). Compared with the reference subgroup, the other subgroups consistently had a significantly increased risk of birth defects (ORs and 95% CIs: class 2, 1.75 and 1.21-2.54; class 3, 3.13 and 2.17-4.52; class 4, 5.02 and 3.20-7.88; and class 5, 12.25 and 8.61-17.42, respectively). For congenital heart defects, the ORs and 95% CIs were all higher, and the magnitude of OR differences ranged from 1.59 to 16.15.
  
  
  
  A comprehensive intervention strategy targeting maternal exposure to multiple risk factors is expected to show the strongest results in preventing birth defects.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, Shaanxi, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Zhonghai
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition and Food Safety Research, School of Public Health, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, Shaanxi, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Yue
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.affiliation: Department of Maternal and Child Health Center, the First Affiliated Hospital, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, Shaanxi, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Wenfang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, Shaanxi, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Danyang
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, Shaanxi, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Xue
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, Shaanxi, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Danli
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, Shaanxi, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Min
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, Shaanxi, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, Shaanxi, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Lingxia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zeng
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D000013:Congenital Abnormalities / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011159:Population Surveillance; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult