BJOG An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology · 2012 · 26 citations · 36 references
MedicineMaternal HealthObstetricsPopulation StudiesPreterm BirthReproductive HealthBirth Outcomes EpidemiologyBirth RatesDemographic AnalysisPregnancyPreterm Birth EpidemiologyRisk Factors For Preterm BirthCohort Study InvestigationGestational Age MeasurementLive Birth Outcome AssessmentPreterm Birth IncidencePreterm Birth PrevalencePreterm Birth SurveillancePrimary Effect AnalysisPrimary Outcome Analysis
OBJECTIVE: To assess the extent to which increased rates of labour induction and caesarean section have contributed to the recent rise in preterm birth. DESIGN: National birth cohort study. SETTING: USA. POPULATION AND SAMPLE: Singleton live births, with primary analysis based on non-Hispanic white women. METHODS: Ecological study based on the 50 states and the District of Columbia during two time periods 10 years apart: 1992-94 and 2002-04. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Preterm birth (live birth <37 completed weeks of gestation), based on an algorithm combining menstrual and clinical estimates of gestational age. RESULTS: The state-level ecological analysis among non-Hispanic white women showed that the change in preterm birth rate from 1992-94 to 2002-04 was significantly associated with the change in rate of labour induction (r = 0.50, 95% CI 0.26-0.68), but not with the change in rate of caesarean delivery (r = -0.06, 95% CI -0.33 to 0.22). Weaker but otherwise similar associations with labour induction were observed in Hispanic women and in non-Hispanic black women. CONCLUSIONS: Increasing use of labour induction is probably an important cause of the observed increased rate in preterm birth.
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A united states national reference for fetal growth
Gerianne M. Alexander, John H. Himes, R H Kaufman et al. · Obstetrics and Gynecology · 1996 · 2.3K citations