Study finds residence in US a risk factor for preterm birth

February 9, 2012 in Health

In a study to be presented today at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine's annual meeting, The Pregnancy Meeting, in Dallas, Texas, researchers will report findings that indicate that duration of stay in the United States is associated with increased risk of preterm birth for Hispanic women.

"It is uncertain how important environmental factors are in predisposition to preterm birth," said Radek Bukowski, MD, PhD, with the University of Texas Medical Branch, Department of , in Galveston, Texas, and one of the study's authors. "To address this question, the objective of the study was to determine the risk of preterm birth in relation to duration of residence in the U.S. among ."

For the study, entitled Residence in the U.S. a Risk Factor for Preterm Birth, Bukowski and his colleague, Julian Robinson, MD, with Brigham and Women's Hospital, Obstetrics and Gynecology, in Boston, Mass., studied 2,141 Hispanic women with a prior who participated in the National Health and (1999-2006), a probability sample of the U.S. population. They found that women living in the U.S. for less than 10 years had a 3.4 percent frequency of preterm birth and women living in the U.S. for 10 or more years had twice the risk of preterm birth and a 7.4 percent frequency of preterm birth. Furthermore, women born in the U.S. had a 10 percent frequency of preterm birth and three-fold risk of preterm birth. The risk of preterm birth did not appear to be related to a number of preterm birth investigated, but because it was acquired during residence in the U.S., it is potentially modifiable.

The findings support the hypothesis that preterm birth is, at least in part, related to environmental, potentially preventable, factors. It remains unclear what specific environmental factors protect or predispose women to preterm birth.

More information: A copy of the abstract is available at www.smfmnewsroom.o… g-abstracts/

Provided by Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine

not rated yet  

Rank not rated yet
Relevant PhysicsForums posts

More news stories

CDC presents recent trends in health behaviors of US adults

(HealthDay)—In 2008 to 2010, the prevalence of key health behaviors among U.S. adults varied, with about one in five adults current smokers and 62.1 percent overweight or obese, according to a report presented ...

Health created 26 minutes ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Americans still making unhealthy choices, CDC reports

(HealthDay)—The overall health of Americans isn't improving much, with about six in 10 people either overweight or obese and large numbers engaging in unhealthy behaviors like smoking, heavy drinking or ...

Health created 36 minutes ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

US court strikes down Arizona 20-week abortion ban

A federal court in San Francisco Tuesday struck down Arizona's ban on abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy.

Health created 36 minutes ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Aggressive behavior linked specifically to secondhand smoke exposure in childhood

Children who are exposed to secondhand smoke in early childhood are more likely to grow up to physically aggressive and antisocial, regardless of whether they were exposed during pregnancy or their parents have a history ...

Health created 3 hours ago | popularity 1 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Most elite athletes believe doping substances are effective in improving performance

Most elite athletes consider doping substances "are effective" in improving performance, while recognising that they constitute cheating, can endanger health and entail the obvious risk of sanction. At the same time, the ...

Health created 4 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0


Antidepressant reduces stress-induced heart condition

A drug commonly used to treat depression and anxiety may improve a stress-related heart condition in people with stable coronary heart disease, according to researchers at Duke Medicine.

Study examines outbreak of spinal infections in Michigan

(HealthDay)—Factors such as increased case finding may explain why Michigan had half of the total spinal infections associated with contaminated methylprednisolone acetate in the recent fungal meningitis ...

Early use of tracheostomy for mechanically ventilated patients not associated with improved survival

For critically ill patients receiving mechanical ventilation, early tracheostomy (within the first 4 days after admission) was not associated with an improvement in the risk of death within 30 days compared to patients who ...

CDC says high number of public pools contain microbes

(HealthDay)—Three-quarters of public schools in the metro Atlanta area contain microbes, including bacteria indicating the presence of fecal matter, according to research published in the May 17 issue of ...

Weather worries can threaten a child's mental health

(HealthDay)—The monstrous tornado that devastated Moore, Okla., on Monday, killing dozens of adults and children, is a stunning example of violent weather that can affect a child's mental well-being.

World not ready if flu outbreak strikes, WHO says

The globe remains unprepared to deal with the risk of a massive virus outbreak, the deputy chief of the World Health Organization warned Tuesday, amid fears that H7N9 bird flu striking China could morph into a form that spreads ...