TY - JOUR
T1 - Mother's education and the risk of preterm and small for gestational age birth: a DRIVERS meta-analysis of 12 European cohorts
AU - Ruiz, Milagros
AU - Goldblatt, Peter
AU - Morrison, Joana
AU - Kukla, Lubomír
AU - Švancara, Jan
AU - Riitta-Järvelin, Marjo
AU - Taanila, Anja
AU - Saurel-Cubizolles, Marie-Josèphe
AU - Lioret, Sandrine
AU - Bakoula, Chryssa
AU - Veltsista, Alexandra
AU - Porta, Daniela
AU - Forastiere, Francesco
AU - van Eijsden, Manon
AU - Vrijkotte, Tanja G. M.
AU - Eggesbø, Merete
AU - White, Richard A.
AU - Barros, Henrique
AU - Correia, Sofia
AU - Vrijheid, Martine
AU - Torrent, Maties
AU - Rebagliato, Marisa
AU - Larrañaga, Isabel
AU - Ludvigsson, Johnny
AU - Olsen Faresjö, Åshild
AU - Hryhorczuk, Daniel
AU - Antipkin, Youriy
AU - Marmot, Michael
AU - Pikhart, Hynek
PY - 2015
Y1 - 2015
N2 - A healthy start to life is a major priority in efforts to reduce health inequalities across Europe, with important implications for the health of future generations. There is limited combined evidence on inequalities in health among newborns across a range of European countries. Prospective cohort data of 75 296 newborns from 12 European countries were used. Maternal education, preterm and small for gestational age births were determined at baseline along with covariate data. Regression models were estimated within each cohort and meta-analyses were conducted to compare and measure heterogeneity between cohorts. Mother's education was linked to an appreciable risk of preterm and small for gestational age (SGA) births across 12 European countries. The excess risk of preterm births associated with low maternal education was 1.48 (1.29 to 1.69) and 1.84 (0.99 to 2.69) in relative and absolute terms (Relative/Slope Index of Inequality, RII/SII) for all cohorts combined. Similar effects were found for SGA births, but absolute inequalities were greater, with an SII score of 3.64 (1.74 to 5.54). Inequalities at birth were strong in the Netherlands, the UK, Sweden and Spain and marginal in other countries studied. This study highlights the value of comparative cohort analysis to better understand the relationship between maternal education and markers of fetal growth in different settings across Europe
AB - A healthy start to life is a major priority in efforts to reduce health inequalities across Europe, with important implications for the health of future generations. There is limited combined evidence on inequalities in health among newborns across a range of European countries. Prospective cohort data of 75 296 newborns from 12 European countries were used. Maternal education, preterm and small for gestational age births were determined at baseline along with covariate data. Regression models were estimated within each cohort and meta-analyses were conducted to compare and measure heterogeneity between cohorts. Mother's education was linked to an appreciable risk of preterm and small for gestational age (SGA) births across 12 European countries. The excess risk of preterm births associated with low maternal education was 1.48 (1.29 to 1.69) and 1.84 (0.99 to 2.69) in relative and absolute terms (Relative/Slope Index of Inequality, RII/SII) for all cohorts combined. Similar effects were found for SGA births, but absolute inequalities were greater, with an SII score of 3.64 (1.74 to 5.54). Inequalities at birth were strong in the Netherlands, the UK, Sweden and Spain and marginal in other countries studied. This study highlights the value of comparative cohort analysis to better understand the relationship between maternal education and markers of fetal growth in different settings across Europe
U2 - https://doi.org/10.1136/jech-2014-205387
DO - https://doi.org/10.1136/jech-2014-205387
M3 - Article
C2 - 25911693
SN - 0143-005X
VL - 69
SP - 826
EP - 833
JO - Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health
JF - Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health
IS - 9
ER -