Identifying newborn discharge to child protective services: Comparing discharge codes from birth hospitalization records and child protection case files

PURPOSE

Newborn removal by North America's child protective services (CPS) disproportionately impacts Indigenous and Black families, yet its implications for population health inequities are not well understood. To guide this as a domain for future research, we measured validity of birth hospitalization discharge codes categorizing newborns discharged to CPS.

METHODS

Using data from 309,260 births in Manitoba, Canada, we compared data on newborns discharged to CPS from hospital discharge codes with the presumed gold standard of custody status from CPS case reports in overall population and separately by First Nations status (categorization used in Canada for Indigenous peoples who are members of a First Nation).

RESULTS

Of 309,260 newborns, 4562 (1.48%) were in CPS custody at hospital discharge according to CPS case reports and 2678 (0.87%) were coded by hospitals as discharged to CPS. Sensitivity of discharge codes was low (47.8%), however codes were highly specific (99.8%) with a positive predictive value (PPV) of 81.4%, and a negative predictive value (NPV) of 99.2%. Sensitivity, PPV and specificity were equal for all newborns but NPV was lower for First Nations newborns.

CONCLUSIONS

Canadian hospital discharge records underestimate newborn discharge to CPS, with no difference in misclassication based on First Nations status.

Observational cohort investigating health outcomes and healthcare costs after metabolic and bariatric surgery: a study protocol

INTRODUCTION

As the rate of obesity increases, so does the incidence of obesity-related comorbidities. Metabolic and bariatric surgery (MBS) is the most effective treatment for obesity, yet this treatment is severely underused. MBS can improve, resolve, and prevent the development of obesity-related comorbidities; this improvement in health also results in lower healthcare costs. The studies that have examined these outcomes are often limited by small sample sizes, reliance on outdated data, inconsistent definitions of outcomes, and the use of simulated data. Using recent real-world data, we will identify characteristics of individuals who qualify for MBS but have not had MBS and address the gaps in knowledge around the impact of MBS on health outcomes and healthcare costs.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

Using a large US employer-based retrospective claims database (Merative), we will identify all obese adults (21+) who have had a primary MBS from 2016 to 2021 and compare their characteristics and outcomes with obese adults who did not have an MBS from 2016 to 2021. Baseline demographics, health outcomes, and costs will be examined in the year before the index date, remission and new-onset comorbidities, and healthcare costs will be examined at 1 and 3 years after the index date.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

As this was an observational study of deidentified patients in the Merative database, Institutional Review Board approval and consent were exempt (in accordance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act Privacy Rule). An IRB exemption was approved by the wcg IRB (#13931684). Knowledge dissemination will include presenting results at national and international conferences, sharing findings with specialty societies, and publishing results in peer-reviewed journals. All data management and analytic code will be made available publicly to enable others to leverage our methods to verify and extend our findings.

Equity in bariatric surgery use: a cohort study

BACKGROUND

Metabolic and bariatric surgery (MBS) is the most effective and durable treatment for obesity; however, access to MBS is not equitable.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the rate of MBS among eligible adults with obesity by demographics, health characteristics, and geography to better define populations that would benefit from resources to reduce barriers to access for this treatment.

SETTING

Adults with obesity were identified in the US employer-based retrospective claims database (Merative™).

METHODS

Rates of MBS were examined across demographics (age, sex, region, year, health plan type) health characteristics (obesity-related comorbidities, healthcare costs, inpatient admissions), and by state. Given differences in coverage requirements, rates are examined for 2 populations: Class 2 (BMI 35-39.9 kg/m2) and Class 3 (BMI 40+ kg/m2) obesity.

RESULTS

Of the 777,565 eligible adults, 49,371 (6.4%) had MBS; 3.2% of those with Class 2 and 8.3% of those with Class 3 obesity had MBS. MBS rates varied substantially by demographic and health characteristics, ranging from 1% to 14%, and from 2% to 41% among those with Class 2 and Class 3 obesity, respectively. Geographically, rates ranged from 0% (Hawaii) to 7.4% (New Mexico) for those with Class 2 Obesity and from 4.2% (Hawaii) to 15.3% (Mississippi) among those with Class 3 Obesity.

CONCLUSIONS

Use of MBS among eligible adults with obesity varies substantially across characteristics, indicating inequity in access to this treatment. To ensure greater access to the most effective treatment for obesity, policies should be implemented to reduce or eliminate barriers to care.

Type 2 Diabetes Remission After Bariatric Surgery and Its Impact on Healthcare Costs

PURPOSE

Bariatric surgery is the most effective and durable treatment of obesity and can put type 2 diabetes (T2D) into remission. We aimed to examine remission rates after bariatric surgery and the impacts of post-surgical healthcare costs.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Obese adults with T2D were identified in Merative™ (US employer-based retrospective claims database). Individuals who had bariatric surgery were matched 1:1 with those who did not with baseline demographic and health characteristics. Rates of remission and total healthcare costs were compared at 6-12 and 6-36 months after the index date.

RESULTS

Remission rates varied substantially by baseline T2D complexity; differences in rates at 1 year ranged from 41% for those with high-complexity T2D to 66% for those with low- to mid-complexity T2D. At 3 years, those who had bariatric surgery had 56% higher remission rates than those who did not have bariatric surgery, with differences of 73%, 59%, and 35% for those with low-, mid-, and high-complexity T2D at baseline. Healthcare costs were $3401 and $20,378 lower among those who had bariatric surgery in the 6 to 12 months and 6 to 36 months after the index date, respectively, than their matched controls. The biggest cost differences were seen among those with high-complexity T2D; those who had bariatric surgery had $26,879 lower healthcare costs in the 6 to 36 months after the index date than those who did not.

CONCLUSION

Individuals with T2D undergoing bariatric surgery have substantially higher rates of T2D remission and lower healthcare costs.

Neighborhood disinvestment and severe maternal morbidity in the state of California

BACKGROUND

Social determinants of health, including neighborhood context, may be a key driver of severe maternal morbidity and its related racial and ethnic inequities; however, investigations remain limited.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to examine the associations between neighborhood socioeconomic characteristics and severe maternal morbidity, as well as whether the associations between neighborhood socioeconomic characteristics and severe maternal morbidity were modified by race and ethnicity.

STUDY DESIGN

This study leveraged a California statewide data resource on all hospital births at ≥20 weeks of gestation (1997-2018). Severe maternal morbidity was defined as having at least 1 of 21 diagnoses and procedures (eg, blood transfusion or hysterectomy) as outlined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Neighborhoods were defined as residential census tracts (n=8022; an average of 1295 births per neighborhood), and the neighborhood deprivation index was a summary measure of 8 census indicators (eg, percentage of poverty, unemployment, and public assistance). Mixed-effects logistic regression models (individuals nested within neighborhoods) were used to compare odds of severe maternal morbidity across quartiles (quartile 1 [the least deprived] to quartile 4 [the most deprived]) of the neighborhood deprivation index before and after adjustments for maternal sociodemographic and pregnancy-related factors and comorbidities. Moreover, cross-product terms were created to determine whether associations were modified by race and ethnicity.

RESULTS

Of 10,384,976 births, the prevalence of severe maternal morbidity was 1.2% (N=120,487). In fully adjusted mixed-effects models, the odds of severe maternal morbidity increased with increasing neighborhood deprivation index (odds ratios: quartile 1, reference; quartile 4, 1.23 [95% confidence interval, 1.20-1.26]; quartile 3, 1.13 [95% confidence interval, 1.10-1.16]; quartile 2, 1.06 [95% confidence interval, 1.03-1.08]). The associations were modified by race and ethnicity such that associations (quartile 4 vs quartile 1) were the strongest among individuals in the "other" racial and ethnic category (1.39; 95% confidence interval, 1.03-1.86) and the weakest among Black individuals (1.07; 95% confidence interval, 0.98-1.16).

CONCLUSION

Study findings suggest that neighborhood deprivation contributes to an increased risk of severe maternal morbidity. Future research should examine which aspects of neighborhood environments matter most across racial and ethnic groups.

Parental death and initiation of antidepressant treatment in surviving children and youth: a national register-based matched cohort study

Background

Population-based longitudinal studies on bereaved children and youth's mental health care use are scarce and few have assessed the role of surviving parents' mental health status.

Methods

Using register data of individuals born in Sweden in 1992-1999, we performed a matched cohort study (n = 117,518) on the association between parental death and subsequent initiation of antidepressant treatment among individuals bereaved at ages 7-24 years. We used flexible parametric survival models to estimate the hazard ratios (HRs) over time after bereavement, adjusting for individual and parental factors. We further examined if the association varied by age at loss, sex, parental sociodemographic factors, cause of death, and the surviving parents' psychiatric care.

Findings

The bereaved were more likely to initiate antidepressants treatment than the nonbereaved matched individuals during follow-up (incidence rate per 1000 person years 27.5 [26.5-28.5] vs. 18.2 [17.9-18.6]). The HRs peaked in the first year after bereavement and remained higher than the nonbereaved individuals until the end of the follow-up. The average HR over the 12 years of follow-up was 1.48 (95% confidence interval [1.39-1.58]) for father's death and 1.33 [1.22-1.46] for mother's death. The HRs were particularly high when the surviving parents received psychiatric care before bereavement (2.11 [1.89-2.56] for father's death; 2.14 [1.79-2.56] for mother's death) or treated for anxiety or depression after bereavement (1.80 [1.67-1.94]; 1.82 [1.59-2.07]).

Interpretation

The risk of initiating antidepressant treatment was the highest in the first year after parental death and remained elevated over the next decade. The risk was particularly high among individuals with surviving parents affected by psychiatric morbidity.

Funding

The Swedish Research Council.

Use of Medication to Treat Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Young Children: The Role of Maternal History of Psychotropic Medication Use

We examine whether, among children diagnosed with ADHD, are those whose mothers have a history of psychotropic medication use more likely to treat their ADHD with medication? Children born in Manitoba, Canada from 2000 to 2010 diagnosed with ADHD between their 4th and 8th birthday. Maternal psychotropic medication use was assessed from one year before the child's birth to the child's fourth birthday. Logistic regression models examine the relationship between maternal history of psychotropic medication use and the use of medication to treat ADHD in children. Among the 2384 children diagnosed with ADHD, the rate of ADHD medication use was higher for those whose mother had a history of psychotropic medication use (76.6%) than for those whose mothers did not (72.5%) (OR 1.24, 95% CI 1.03, 1.49). Children whose mothers have a history of psychotropic medication use are more likely to have their ADHD treated with medication.

Unwinding the tangle of adolescent pregnancy and socio-economic functioning: leveraging administrative data from Manitoba, Canada

BACKGROUND

Understanding the relationship between adolescent pregnancy and adult education and employment outcomes is complicated due to the endogeneity of fertility behaviors and socio-economic functioning. Studies exploring adolescent pregnancy have often relied on limited data to measure adolescent pregnancy (i.e. birth during adolescence or self-reports) and lack access to objective measures of school performance during childhood.

METHODS

We use rich administrative data from Manitoba, Canada, to assess women's functioning during childhood (including pre-pregnancy academic performance), fertility behaviors during adolescence (live birth, abortion, pregnancy loss, or no history of pregnancy), and adult outcomes of high school completion and receipt of income assistance. This rich set of covariates allows calculating propensity score weights to help adjust for characteristics possibly predictive of adolescent pregnancy. We also explore which risk factors are associated with the study outcomes.

RESULTS

We assessed a cohort of 65,732 women, of whom 93.5% had no teen pregnancy, 3.8% had a live birth, 2.6% had abortion, and < 1% had a pregnancy loss. Women with a history of adolescent pregnancy were less likely to complete high school regardless of the outcome of that pregnancy. The probability of dropping out of high school was 7.5% for women with no history of adolescent pregnancy; after adjusting for individual, household, and neighborhood characteristics, the probability of dropping out of high school was 14.2 percentage points (pp) higher (95% CI 12.0-16.5) for women with live birth, 7.6 pp. higher (95% CI 1.5-13.7) for women with a pregnancy loss, and 6.9 pp. higher (95% CI 5.2-8.6) for women who had abortion. They key risk factors for never completing high school are poor or average school performance in 9th grade. Women who had a live births during adolescence were much more likely to receive income assistance than any other group in the sample. Aside from poor school performance, growing up in poor households and in poor neighborhoods were also highly predictive of receiving income assistance during adulthood.

DISCUSSION

The administrative data used in this study enabled us to assess the relationship between adolescent pregnancy and adult outcomes after controlling for a rich set of individual-, household-, and neighborhood-level characteristics. Adolescent pregnancy was associated with higher risk of never completing high school regardless of the pregnancy outcome. Receipt of income assistance was significantly higher for women having a live birth, but only marginally higher for those who had a pregnancy that ended in loss or termination, underlining the harsh economic consequences of caring for a child as a young mother. Our data suggest that interventions targeting young women with poor or average school marks may be especially effective public policy priorities.

Examining the relationship between maternal mental health-related hospital admissions and childhood developmental vulnerability at school entry in Canada and Australia

BACKGROUND

It is well established that maternal mental illness is associated with an increased risk of poor development for children. However, inconsistencies in findings regarding the nature of the difficulties children experience may be explained by methodological or geographical differences.

AIMS

We used a common methodological approach to compare developmental vulnerability for children whose mothers did and did not have a psychiatric hospital admission between conception and school entry in Manitoba, Canada, and Western Australia, Australia. We aimed to determine if there are common patterns to the type and timing of developmental difficulties across the two settings.

METHOD

Participants included children who were assessed with the Early Development Instrument in Manitoba, Canada (n = 69 785), and Western Australia, Australia (n = 19 529). We examined any maternal psychiatric hospital admission (obtained from administrative data) between conception and child's school entry, as well as at specific time points (pregnancy and each year until school entry).

RESULTS

Log-binomial regressions modelled the risk of children of mothers with psychiatric hospital admissions being developmentally vulnerable. In both Manitoba and Western Australia, an increased risk of developmental vulnerability on all domains was found. Children had an increased risk of developmental vulnerability regardless of their age at the time their mother was admitted to hospital.

CONCLUSIONS

This cross-national comparison provides further evidence of an increased risk of developmental vulnerability for children whose mothers experience severe mental health difficulties. Provision of preventative services during early childhood to children whose mothers experience mental ill health may help to mitigate developmental difficulties at school entry.

Subsequent risk of stillbirth, preterm birth, and small for gestational age: A cross-outcome analysis of adverse birth outcomes

BACKGROUND

Stillbirth, preterm birth, and small for gestational age (SGA) birth have an increased recurrence risk. The occurrence of one of these biologically related outcomes could also increase the risk for another one of these outcomes in a subsequent pregnancy.

OBJECTIVES

We assessed cross-outcome risks for subsequent stillbirth, preterm birth, and SGA.

METHODS

We used live birth and fetal death records to identify singleton, sequential birth pairs in California (1997-2017). Stillbirth was defined as delivery at ≥20 weeks of gestation of a foetus that died in utero; preterm birth as live birth at 20-36 weeks; and small for gestational age as sex-specific birthweight <10th percentile for gestational age. Risk ratios (RR) were computed using modified Poisson regression and adjusted for potential confounders. Sensitivity analyses included analysing a cohort restricted to primiparous index births and using inverse-probability censoring weights.

RESULTS

Of 3,108,532 birth pairs, 16,668 (0.5%), 260,596 (8.4%) and 331,109 (10.7%) of index births were stillborn, preterm and SGA, respectively. Among individuals with an index stillbirth, the adjusted RRs were 1.90 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.83, 1.98) for subsequent preterm and 1.35 (95% CI 1.28, 1.41) for subsequent SGA. Among those with index preterm birth, the adjusted RRs were 2.02 (95% CI 1.92, 2.13) for stillbirth and 1.42 (95% CI 1.41, 1.44) for SGA. Among those with index SGA, the adjusted RRs were 1.54 (95% CI 1.46, 1.63) for stillbirth and 1.45 (95% CI 1.44, 1.47) for preterm birth. Similar results were reported for sensitivity analyses.

CONCLUSIONS

Individuals experiencing stillbirth, preterm birth, or SGA in one pregnancy had an increased risk of one of these biologically related outcomes in a subsequent pregnancy. These findings could encourage enhanced surveillance for individuals who experience stillbirth, preterm birth, or SGA and desire a subsequent pregnancy.

Antihypertensive Medication Use before and during Pregnancy and the Risk of Severe Maternal Morbidity in Individuals with Prepregnancy Hypertension

OBJECTIVE

 Our objective is to examine severe maternal morbidity (SMM) and patterns of antihypertensive medication use before and during pregnancy among individuals with chronic hypertension.

STUDY DESIGN

 We examined 11,759 pregnancies resulting in a live birth or stillbirth to individuals with chronic hypertension and one or more antihypertensive prescription 6 months before pregnancy (Optum, 2007-17). We examined whether study outcomes were associated with the use of medication as compared to no use during pregnancy. In addition, patterns of medication use based on the Food and Drug Administration guidance and literature were evaluated. Medication use was divided into prepregnancy and during pregnancy use and classified as pregnancy recommended (PR) or not pregnancy recommended (nPR) or no medication use. SMM was defined per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention definition of 21 indicators. Risk ratios (RR) reflecting the association of SMM with the use of antihypertensive medications were computed using modified Poisson regression with robust standard errors and adjusted for maternal age, education, and birth year.

RESULTS

 Overall, 83% of individuals filled an antihypertensive prescription during pregnancy and 6.3% experienced SMM. The majority of individuals with a prescription prior to pregnancy had a prescription for the same medication in pregnancy. Individuals with any versus no medication use in pregnancy had increased adjusted RR (aRR) of SMM (1.18, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.96-1.44). Compared to the use of PR medications before and during pregnancy, aRRs were 1.42 (95% CI: 1.18-1.69, 12.4% of sample) for nPR use before and during pregnancy, 1.52 (1.23-1.86; 12.4%) for nPR (before) and PR (during) use, and 2.67 (1.73-4.15) for PR and nPR use. Patterns with no medication use during pregnancy were not statistically significant.

CONCLUSION

 Pattern of antihypertensive medication use before and during pregnancy may be associated with an elevated risk of SMM. Further research is required to elucidate whether this association is related to the severity of hypertension, medication effectiveness, or suboptimal quality of care.

KEY POINTS

· Individuals with any medication use compared to no medication use in pregnancy had an increased risk of SMM.. · Specific medication use patterns were associated with an elevated risk of SMM.. · Pattern of antihypertensive medication use before and during pregnancy may be associated with an increased risk of SMM..

Familial associations in adolescent substance use disorder: a population-based cohort study

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Family history of substance use disorder (SUD) affects a child's risk of the disorder through both genetic and shared environmental factors. We aimed to estimate the association between parental or older sibling SUD history with the risk of adolescent SUD diagnosis.

DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS

We conducted a population-based cohort study using administrative health-care databases in the Province of Manitoba, Canada, which has a universal and publicly funded health-care system. We included all children born from 1984 to 2000 who have linkages to both parents and were followed until age 18 years. We used generalized estimating equation models to produce unadjusted and adjusted relative risk (RR) estimates of adolescent SUD risk. The study cohort included 134 389 children and 31 307 full sibling pairs; 51.3% were male and 35.4% first-born.

MEASUREMENTS

The exposure was SUD diagnosis in a mother or father in either hospitalization or outpatient physician visit records before the children's age of 13 years. The secondary exposure was an adolescent SUD diagnosis in an older full sibling. The outcome was SUD diagnosis during adolescence (13 and 18 years of age) identified in either hospitalization or physician visit records. Children demographics and characteristics associated with SUD diagnosis were included in the models.

FINDINGS

Of the 134 389 children, 9.5% had a mother with a history of SUD, 11.3% had a father and 1.3% had an older sibling with a history of SUD diagnosis; 2566 (1.9%) had an adolescent SUD diagnosis. An increased risk of adolescent SUD was observed with SUD history in mothers [adjusted RR (aRR) = 2.50; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 2.26, 2.79], fathers (aRR = 2.15; 95% CI = 1.95, 2.37), both parents (aRR = 3.74; 95% CI = 3.24, 4.31) and older sibling (aRR = 3.85; 95% CI = 2.53, 5.87).

CONCLUSIONS

A family history of substance use disorder in parents or older siblings appears to be associated with increased SUD risk in adolescents.

Psychosocial and behavioral health indicators among immigrant and non-immigrant recent mothers

BACKGROUND

Perinatal risk factors can vary by immigration status. We examined psychosocial and behavioral perinatal health indicators according to immigration status and immigrant characteristics.

METHODS

We conducted a population-based cross-sectional study of 33,754 immigrant and 172,342 non-immigrant childbearing women residents in Manitoba, Canada, aged 15-55 years, who had a live birth and available data from the universal newborn screen completed within 2 weeks postpartum, between January 2000 and December 2017. Immigration characteristics were from the Canadian federal government immigration database. Logistic regressions models were used to obtain Odds Ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the associations between immigration characteristics and perinatal health indicators, such as social isolation, relationship distress, partner violence, depression, alcohol, smoking, substance use, and late initiation of prenatal care.

RESULTS

More immigrant women reported being socially isolated (12.3%) than non-immigrants (3.0%) (Adjusted Odds Ratio (aOR): 6.95, 95% CI: 6.57 to 7.36) but exhibited lower odds of depression, relationship distress, partner violence, smoking, alcohol, substance use, and late initiation of prenatal care. In analyses restricted to immigrants, recent immigrants (< 5 years) had higher odds of being socially isolated (aOR: 9.04, 95% CI: 7.48 to 10.94) and late initiation of prenatal care (aOR: 1.50, 95% CI: 1.07 to 2.12) compared to long-term immigrants (10 years or more) but lower odds of relationship distress, depression, alcohol, smoking and substance use. Refugee status was positively associated with relationship distress, depression, and late initiation of prenatal care. Secondary immigrants, whose last country of permanent residence differed from their country of birth, had lower odds of social isolation, relationship distress, and smoking than primary migrants. There were also differences by maternal region of birth.

CONCLUSION

Immigrant childbearing women had a higher prevalence of social isolation but a lower prevalence of other psychosocial and behavioral perinatal health indicators than non-immigrants. Health care providers may consider the observed heterogeneity in risk to tailor care approaches for immigrant subgroups at higher risk, such as refugees, recent immigrants, and those from certain world regions.

Quantifying intersecting structural racism in the youth criminal justice system: a whole-population linked administrative data study from Manitoba

ObjectivesOver three decades ago, the Aboriginal Justice Inquiry identified structural racism in Canada’s justice system. Although rates of youth criminal charges and incarcerations have declined substantially since then, it is unclear whether First Nations youth are treated differently than non-First Nations youth for similar offences. Our study addressed this question. ApproachThis retrospective cohort study of youth born 1991-2001 and living in Manitoba between ages 12-17 used whole-population linked administrative data to identify youth charged with a crime (N=13,543). First Nations youth (n=7,081) were compared with all other Manitoba (AOM) youth (n=6,462) on whether their criminal charge proceeded or was dropped, deferred or diverted. The study applied an intersectionality theoretical framework. Individual (age, type and severity of charge, ever in child protection care, youth and/or mother diagnosed mental disorder, maternal incarceration, number of siblings, urban/rural residence) and social strata (First Nations identity, income, sex) factors were adjusted for using multi-level models. ResultsAfter accounting for other factors, First Nations youth had a higher risk of a charge proceeding than AOM (adjusted Relative Risk (aRR) 1.16, 95% CI 1.12-1.20). There was no difference in charges proceeding for male First Nations youth compared with male AOM, whereas among females, the risk was greater for First Nations (aRR 1.31, 95% CI 1.26-1.36). Low income and a history of being in the care of the child protection system increased the risk of charges proceeding for AOM only (aRR 1.16, 95% CI 1.13-1.18; aRR 1.13, 95% CI 1.07-1.20); for First Nations, there was no increased risk of charges proceeding associated with these intersecting factors. ConclusionThese findings provide quantitative evidence of the intersecting structural racism in the youth criminal justice system previously identified by First Nations leaders. Future research will follow this cohort to determine whether more judicial sanctions are applied to First Nations youth throughout the justice process, including within criminal courts and corrections.

Linking Canadian Administrative Data: Income Trajectories, Residential and School Mobility, and Grade 3 Academic Achievement

ObjectiveThe objective is to examine the association between trajectories of childhood residential and school mobility and academic achievement (literacy, numeracy) in Grade 3 using linked whole-population administrative data in Manitoba, Canada. Secondarily, we assessed childhood residential/school mobility based on neighbourhood income levels (moving in/out of low- or mid-/high-income neighbourhoods). ApproachThis retrospective cohort study used linkable, de-identified administrative data (health, education, national census, provincial survey) from the provincial Population Research Data Repository housed at the Manitoba Centre for Health Policy (MCHP). Among kindergarteners from 2005 to 2014 (n = 83,894), those not having continuous residency in Manitoba, valid education assessments, and relevant family-level covariates were excluded. We followed this eligible cohort from kindergarten to Grade 3 based on various neighbourhood income trajectories of residential and school mobility. To assess Grade 3 literacy and numeracy scores based on trajectories, log-binomial regression models were conducted using SAS® version 9.4. ResultsThe total cohort included 36,754 children; at the end of kindergarten, 14.2% resided in low-income neighbourhoods, and 84.8% lived in mid-/high-income neighbourhoods. Moving between two low-income neighborhoods between kindergarten to Grade 3 was associated with an increased risk of poor Grade 3 numeracy and literacy scores (numeracy aRR=1.39 [1.16,1.67]; literacy aRR=1.31 [1.08,1.59]). When moving between neighborhood income levels, the association was stronger for children moving into low-income neighbourhoods (e.g., mid-/high-income to low-income: numeracy aRR=1.41 [1.19,1.67]) than children moving into mid/high-income neighbourhoods (e.g., low-income to mid-/high-income: numeracy aRR=1.31 [1.08,1.59]). Changing schools between kindergarten and Grade 3 was also associated with poorer numeracy and literacy scores in Grade 3 (numeracy aRR=1.31 [1.22,1.40]; literacy aRR=1.34 [1.24,1.44]); however, the strength varied based on residential mobility patterns. ConclusionMoving homes/schools can differentially impact children’s educational attainment depending upon the income level of residing neighborhood(s). Stakeholders should recognize different levels of risks related to mobility and provide support accordingly to reduce the adverse impact. Support systems should be tailored to not only children but also families and neighbourhoods.

Record Linkage and Big Data-Enhancing Information and Improving Design

OBJECTIVE

To highlight the potential of multiple file record linkage. Linkage increases the value of existing information by supplying missing data or correcting errors in existing data, through generating important covariates, and by using family information to control for unmeasured variables and expand research opportunities.

STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING

Recent Manitoba papers highlight the use of linkage to produce better studies. Specific ways in which linkage helps deal with different substantive issues are described.

RESULTS

Wide data files-files containing considerable amounts of information on each individual-generated by linkage improve research by facilitating better design. Nonexperimental work in particular benefits from such linkages. Population registries are especially valuable in supplying family data to facilitate work across different substantive fields.

CONCLUSION

Several examples show how record linkage magnifies the value of information from individual projects. The results of observational studies become more defensible through the better designs facilitated by such linkage.

Transitions between versions of the International Classification of Diseases and chronic disease prevalence estimates from administrative health data: a population-based study

Background

Diagnosis codes in administrative health data are routinely used to monitor trends in disease prevalence and incidence. The International Classification of Diseases (ICD), which is used to record these diagnoses, have been updated multiple times to reflect advances in health and medical research. Our objective was to examine the impact of transitions between ICD versions on the prevalence of chronic health conditions estimated from administrative health data.

Methods

Study data (i.e., physician billing claims, hospital records) were from the province of Manitoba, Canada, which has a universal healthcare system. ICDA-8 (with adaptations), ICD-9-CM (clinical modification), and ICD-10-CA (Canadian adaptation; hospital records only) codes are captured in the data. Annual study cohorts included all individuals 18 + years of age for 45 years from 1974 to 2018. Negative binomial regression was used to estimate annual age- and sex-adjusted prevalence and model parameters (i.e., slopes and intercepts) for 16 chronic health conditions. Statistical control charts were used to assess the impact of changes in ICD version on model parameter estimates. Hotelling’s T² statistic was used to combine the parameter estimates and provide an out-of-control signal when its value was above a pre-specified control limit.

Results

The annual cohort sizes ranged from 360,341 to 824,816. Hypertension and skin cancer were among the most and least diagnosed health conditions, respectively; their prevalence per 1,000 population increased from 40.5 to 223.6 and from 0.3 to 2.1, respectively, within the study period. The average annual rate of change in prevalence ranged from -1.6% (95% confidence interval [CI]: -1.8, -1.4) for acute myocardial infarction to 14.6% (95% CI: 13.9, 15.2) for hypertension. The control chart indicated out-of-control observations when transitioning from ICDA-8 to ICD-9-CM for 75% of the investigated chronic health conditions but no out-of-control observations when transitioning from ICD-9-CM to ICD-10-CA.

Conclusions

The prevalence of most of the investigated chronic health conditions changed significantly in the transition from ICDA-8 to ICD-9-CM. These results point to the importance of considering changes in ICD coding as a factor that may influence the interpretation of trend estimates for chronic health conditions derived from administrative health data.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12889-022-13118-8.

The impact of Severe Maternal Morbidity on probability of subsequent birth in a population-based study of women in California from 1997-2017

IMPORTANCE

Complications during pregnancy and birth can impact whether an individual has more children. Individuals experiencing SMM are at a higher risk of general and reproductive health issues after pregnancy, which could reduce the probability of a subsequent birth.

OBJECTIVE

To examine whether experiencing SMM during an individual's first birth affects their probability of having an additional birth, and whether this effect varies by maternal factors.

METHODS

This retrospective cohort study US linked vital records and maternal discharges from 1997 to 2017 to identify all California births. The exposure, Severe Maternal Morbidity (SMM) was identified using a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention index. Individuals whose first birth was a singleton live birth were followed until their second birth or December 31, 2017, whichever came first. Hazard ratios for having a subsequent birth were estimated using Cox proportional hazard regression models. This association was assessed overall and stratified by maternal factors of a priori interest: age, race/ethnicity, and payer.

RESULTS

Of the 3,916,413 individuals in our study, 51,872 (1.3%) experienced SMM at first birth. Compared to those who do not experience SMM, individuals who had SMM had a lower hazard, or instantaneous rate, of subsequent birth (adjusted HR 0.83, 95% CI: 0.82, 0.84); this association was observed in all levels of stratification (for example, adjusted HR range for known race/ethnicity: 0.78, 95% CI: 0.76, 0.80 for non-Hispanic White to 0.90, 95% CI: 0.88, 0.92 for Hispanic) and all indicators of SMM (0.24, 95% CI: 0.17, 0.35 for cardiac arrest/ventricular fibrillation to 0.84, 95% CI: 0.80, 0.87 for eclampsia).

CONCLUSION AND RELEVANCE

Our findings suggest that individuals who experience SMM at the time of their first birth are less likely to have a subsequent birth as compared to those who do not experience SMM at the time of their first birth. While the reasons for these findings are unclear, they could inform reproductive life planning discussions for individuals experiencing SMM. Future directions include studies exploring the reasons for not having a subsequent birth.

Multigenerational health research using population-based linked databases: an international review

Family health history is a well-established risk factor for many health conditions but the systematic collection of health histories, particularly for multiple generations and multiple family members, can be challenging. Routinely-collected electronic databases in a select number of sites worldwide offer a powerful tool to conduct multigenerational health research for entire populations. At these sites, administrative and healthcare records are used to construct familial relationships and objectively-measured health histories. We review and synthesize published literature to compare the attributes of routinely-collected, linked databases for three European sites (Denmark, Norway, Sweden) and three non-European sites (Canadian province of Manitoba, Taiwan, Australian state of Western Australia) with the capability to conduct population-based multigenerational health research. Our review found that European sites primarily identified family structures using population registries, whereas non-European sites used health insurance registries (Manitoba and Taiwan) or linked data from multiple sources (Western Australia). Information on familial status was reported to be available as early as 1947 (Sweden); Taiwan had the fewest years of data available (1995 onwards). All centres reported near complete coverage of familial relationships for their population catchment regions. Challenges in working with these data include differentiating biological and legal relationships, establishing accurate familial linkages over time, and accurately identifying health conditions. This review provides important insights about the benefits and challenges of using routinely-collected, population-based linked databases for conducting population-based multigenerational health research, and identifies opportunities for future research within and across the data-intensive environments at these six sites.

Maternal Health after Stillbirth: Postpartum Hospital Readmission in California

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study is to assess whether the risk of postpartum readmission within 6 weeks of giving birth differs for women who had stillbirths compared with live births.

STUDY DESIGN

Using data from the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development in California, we performed a population-based cohort study of 7,398,640 births between 1999 and 2011. We identified diagnoses and procedures associated with the first postpartum hospital readmission that occurred within 6 weeks after giving birth. We used log-binomial models to estimate relative risk (RR) of postpartum readmission for women who had stillbirth compared with live birth deliveries, adjusting for maternal demographic, prepregnancy, pregnancy, and delivery characteristics.

RESULTS

The rate of postpartum readmission was higher among women who had stillbirths compared with women who had live births (206 and 96 per 10,000 births, respectively). After adjusting for maternal demographic and medical characteristics, the risk of postpartum readmission for women who had stillbirths was nearly 1.5 times greater (adjusted RR = 1.47, 95% confidence interval: 1.35-1.60) compared with live births. Among women with stillbirths, the most common indications at readmission were uterine infection or pelvic inflammatory disease, psychiatric conditions, hypertensive disorder, and urinary tract infection.

CONCLUSION

Based on our findings, women who have stillbirths are at higher risk of postpartum readmissions within 6 weeks of giving birth than women who have live births. Women who have stillbirths may benefit from additional monitoring and counseling after hospital discharge for potential postpartum medical and psychiatric complications.

KEY POINTS

· Women who have stillbirths are at nearly 1.5 times greater risk of postpartum readmission than women who have live births.. · Uterine infections and pelvic inflammatory disease, and psychiatric conditions are the most common reasons for readmission among women who had a stillbirth.. · Women who have stillbirths may benefit from additional monitoring and counseling after hospital discharge for potential postpartum medical and psychiatric complications..

Association of Epidural Labor Analgesia With Offspring Risk of Autism Spectrum Disorders

IMPORTANCE

Epidural labor analgesia (ELA) has been associated with an increased offspring risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Whether this finding may be explained by residual confounding remains unclear.

OBJECTIVE

To assess the association between ELA and offspring risk of ASD.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

Longitudinal cohort study of vaginal deliveries of singleton live infants born from 2005 to 2016 from a population-based data set linking information from health care databases in Manitoba, Canada; offspring were followed from birth until 2019 or censored by death or emigration. Data were analyzed from October 19, 2020, to January 22, 2021.

EXPOSURES

Epidural labor analgesia.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

At least 1 inpatient or outpatient diagnosis of ASD in offspring aged at least 18 months. For the full population and a sibling cohort, inverse probability of treatment-weighted Cox proportional hazards regression analyses were used to control for potential confounders.

RESULTS

Of the 123 175 offspring included in this study (62 647 boys [50.9%]; mean [SD] age of mothers, 28.2 [5.8] years), 47 011 (38.2%) were exposed to ELA; 2.1% (985 of 47 011) of exposed vs 1.7% (1272 of 76 164) of unexposed offspring were diagnosed with ASD in the follow-up period (hazard ratio [HR], 1.25; 95% CI, 1.15-1.36). After adjusting for maternal sociodemographic, prepregnancy, pregnancy, and perinatal covariates, ELA was not associated with an offspring risk of ASD (inverse probability of treatment-weighted HR, 1.08; 95% CI, 0.97-1.20). In the within-siblings design adjusting for baseline covariates, ELA was not associated with ASD (inverse probability of treatment-weighted HR, 0.97; 95% CI, 0.78-1.22). Results from sensitivity analyses restricted to women without missing data who delivered at or after 37 weeks of gestation, firstborn infants only, and offspring with ASD classified with at least 2 diagnostic codes were consistent with findings from the main analyses.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

In a Canadian population-based birth cohort study, no association between ELA exposure and an increased offspring risk of ASD was found.

Interpregnancy Interval and Subsequent Severe Maternal Morbidity: A 16-Year Population-Based Study From California

Interpregnancy interval (IPI) is associated with adverse perinatal outcomes, but its contribution to severe maternal morbidity (SMM) remains unclear. We examined the association between IPI and SMM, using data linked across sequential pregnancies to women in California during 1997–2012. Adjusting for confounders measured in the index pregnancy (i.e., the first in a pair of consecutive pregnancies), we estimated adjusted risk ratios for SMM related to the subsequent pregnancy. We further conducted within-mother comparisons and analyses stratified by parity and maternal age at the index pregnancy. Compared with an IPI of 18–23 months, an IPI of <6 months had the same risk for SMM in between-mother comparisons (adjusted risk ratio (aRR) = 0.96, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.91, 1.02) but lower risk in within-mother comparisons (aRR = 0.76, 95% CI: 0.67, 0.86). IPIs of 24–59 months and ≥60 months were associated with increased risk of SMM in both between-mother (aRR = 1.18 (95% CI: 1.13, 1.23) and aRR = 1.76 (95% CI: 1.68, 1.85), respectively) and within-mother (aRR = 1.22 (95% CI: 1.11, 1.34) and aRR = 1.88 (95% CI: 1.66, 2.13), respectively) comparisons. The association between IPI and SMM did not vary substantially by maternal age or parity. In this study, longer IPI was associated with increased risk of SMM, which may be partly attributed to interpregnancy health.

Benzodiazepine use before conception and risk of ectopic pregnancy

STUDY QUESTION

Are women who fill a benzodiazepine prescription before conception at increased risk of ectopic pregnancy?

SUMMARY ANSWER

Risk of ectopic pregnancy is 50% higher among women who fill a benzodiazepine prescription before conception.

WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY

Benzodiazepine use in pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage, adverse birth outcomes and adverse child development outcomes.

STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION

Using data from US commercial insurance claims, we performed a cohort study of 1 691 366 pregnancies between 1 November 2008 and 30 September 2015.

PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS

We identified ectopic pregnancies using diagnosis and procedure codes and used unadjusted and inverse probability of treatment (IPT)-weighted log-binomial models to calculate relative risks (RR) of ectopic pregnancy for pregnant women who did and did not fill any prescriptions for benzodiazepines in the 90 days before conception. Two sub-groups of women with specific indications for benzodiazepine use were also examined-women who had a least one diagnosis for anxiety disorder and women who had at least one diagnosis of insomnia in the year before conception.

MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE

Of the 1 691 366 pregnancies, 1.06% filled at least two benzodiazepine prescriptions totaling at least 10 days supply in the 90 days before conception. Among women with a benzodiazepine prescription, there was an excess of 80 ectopic pregnancies per 10 000 pregnancies, and their IPT-weighted risk of ectopic pregnancies was 1.47 (95% CI 1.32 to 1.63) times greater relative to women without benzodiazepine prescriptions before conception. The IPT-weighted RR between ectopic pregnancy and benzodiazepine use was 1.34 (95% CI 1.18 to 1.53) among women with anxiety disorder diagnoses and 1.28 (95% CI 0.99 to 1.68) among women with an insomnia diagnosis.

LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION

We relied on outpatient prescription data to identify benzodiazepine use before conception, which could result in over- or under-estimation of actual benzodiazepine consumption. We relied on medical claim codes to identify pregnancies and conception date, which may result in misclassification of pregnancy outcomes and gestational length.

WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS

This study found that women who have a benzodiazepine prescription before conception are at an increased risk of ectopic pregnancy. This information can help women, and their healthcare providers make more fully informed decisions about benzodiazepine use in their reproductive years.

STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S)

Funding for this project was provided by a Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship and a Stanford Maternal and Child Health Research Institute Postdoctoral Award. Data access for this project was provided by the Stanford Center for Population Health Sciences Data Core. The PHS Data Core is supported by a National Institutes of Health National Center for Advancing Translational Science Clinical and Translational Science Award (UL1 TR001085) and internal Stanford funding. The authors have no competing interest.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

N/A.

Mapping three versions of the international classification of diseases to categories of chronic conditions

INTRODUCTION

Administrative health data capture diagnoses using the International Classification of Diseases (ICD), which has multiple versions over time. To facilitate longitudinal investigations using these data, we aimed to map diagnoses identified in three ICD versions - ICD-8 with adaptations (ICDA-8), ICD-9 with clinical modifications (ICD-9-CM), and ICD-10 with Canadian adaptations (ICD-10-CA) - to mutually exclusive chronic health condition categories adapted from the open source Clinical Classifications Software (CCS).

METHODS

We adapted the CCS crosswalk to 3-digit ICD-9-CM codes for chronic conditions and resolved the one-to-many mappings in ICD-9-CM codes. Using this adapted CCS crosswalk as the reference and referring to existing crosswalks between ICD versions, we extended the mapping to ICDA-8 and ICD-10-CA. Each mapping step was conducted independently by two reviewers and discrepancies were resolved by consensus through deliberation and reference to prior research. We report the frequencies, agreement percentages and 95% confidence intervals (CI) from each step.

RESULTS

We identified 354 3-digit ICD-9-CM codes for chronic conditions. Of those, 77 (22%) codes had one-to-many mappings; 36 (10%) codes were mapped to a single CCS category and 41 (12%) codes were mapped to combined CCS categories. In total, the codes were mapped to 130 adapted CCS categories with an agreement percentage of 92% (95% CI: 86%-98%). Then, 321 3-digit ICDA-8 codes were mapped to CCS categories with an agreement percentage of 92% (95% CI: 89%-95%). Finally, 3583 ICD-10-CA codes were mapped to CCS categories; 111 (3%) had a fair or poor mapping quality; these were reviewed to keep or move to another category (agreement percentage = 77% [95% CI: 69%-85%]).

CONCLUSIONS

We developed crosswalks for three ICD versions (ICDA-8, ICD-9-CM, and ICD-10-CA) to 130 clinically meaningful categories of chronic health conditions by adapting the CCS classification. These crosswalks will benefit chronic disease studies spanning multiple decades of administrative health data.

Smoking During Pregnancy Among Immigrant Women With Same-Origin and Swedish-Born Partners

Introduction

Although ethnically mixed couples are on the rise in industrialized countries, their health behaviors are poorly understood. We examined the associations between partner’s birthplace, age at immigration, and smoking during pregnancy among foreign-born women.

Methods

Population-based register study including all pregnancies resulting in a livebirth or stillbirth in Sweden (1991–2012) with complete information on smoking and parental country of birth. We compared the prevalence of smoking during pregnancy between women in dual same-origin foreign-born unions (n = 213 111) and in mixed couples (immigrant women with a Swedish-born partner) (n = 111 866) using logistic regression. Swedish-born couples were used as a benchmark.

Results

The crude smoking rate among Swedish women whose partners were Swedish was 11%. Smoking rates of women in dual same-origin foreign-born unions varied substantially by birthplace, from 1.3% among women from Asian countries to 23.2% among those from other Nordic countries. Among immigrant groups with prevalences of pregnancy smoking higher than that of women in dual Swedish-born unions, having a Swedish-born partner was associated with lower odds of smoking (adjusted odds ratios: 0.72–0.87) but with higher odds among immigrant groups with lower prevalence (adjusted odds ratios: 1.17–5.88). These associations were stronger among women immigrating in adulthood, whose smoking rates were the lowest.

Conclusions

Swedish-born partners “pull” smoking rates of immigrant women toward the level of smoking of Swedish-born women, particularly among women arrived during adulthood. Consideration of a woman’s and her partner’s ethnic background and life stage at migration may help understand smoking patterns of immigrant women.

Implications

We found that having a Swedish-born partner is associated with higher rates of smoking during pregnancy among immigrants from regions where women smoke less than Swedish women, but with lower smoking rates among immigrants from regions where women smoke more. This implies that prevention efforts should concentrate on newly arrived single women from low prevalence regions, such as Africa and Asia, whereas cessation efforts may target women from high prevalence regions, such as other European countries. These findings suggest that pregnancy smoking prevention or cessation interventions may benefit from including partners and approaches culturally tailored to mixed unions.

Risk factors for postpartum readmission among women after having a stillbirth

BACKGROUND

Compared to women with a live birth, women with a stillbirth are more likely to have maternal complications during pregnancy and at birth, but risk factors related to their postpartum health are uncertain.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to identify patient-level risk factors for postpartum hospital readmission among women after having a stillbirth.

STUDY DESIGN

This was a population-based cohort study of 29,654 women with a stillbirth in California from 1997 to 2011. Using logistic regression models, we examined the association of maternal patient-level factors with postpartum readmission among women after a stillbirth within 6 weeks of hospital discharge and between 6 weeks and 9 months after delivery.

RESULTS

Within 6 weeks after a stillbirth, 642 women (2.2%) had a postpartum readmission. Risk factors for postpartum readmission after a stillbirth were severe maternal morbidity excluding transfusion (adjusted odds ratio, 3.02; 95% confidence interval, 2.28-4.00), transfusion at delivery but no other indication of severe maternal morbidity (adjusted odds ratio, 1.95; 95% confidence interval, 1.35-2.81), gestational hypertension or preeclampsia (adjusted odds ratio, 1.93; 95% confidence interval, 1.54-2.42), prepregnancy hypertension (adjusted odds ratio, 1.80; 95% confidence interval, 1.36-2.37), diabetes mellitus (adjusted odds ratio, 1.78; 95% confidence interval, 1.33-2.37), antenatal hospitalization (adjusted odds ratio, 1.78; 95% confidence interval, 1.43-2.21), cesarean delivery (adjusted odds ratio, 1.73; 95% confidence interval, 1.43-2.21), long length of stay in the hospital after delivery (>2 days for vaginal delivery and >4 days for cesarean delivery) (adjusted odds ratio, 1.59; 95% confidence interval, 1.33-1.89), non-Hispanic black race and ethnicity (adjusted odds ratio, 1.38; 95% confidence interval, 1.08-1.76), and having less than a high school education (adjusted odds ratio, 1.35; 95% confidence interval, 1.02-1.80). From 6 weeks to 9 months, 1169 women (3.90%) had a postpartum readmission; significantly associated risk factors were largely similar to those for earlier readmission.

CONCLUSION

Women with comorbidities, with birth-related complications, of non-Hispanic black race and ethnicity, or with less education had increased odds of postpartum readmission after having a stillbirth, highlighting the importance of continued care for these women after discharge from the hospital.

Recurrence of severe maternal morbidity: A population-based cohort analysis of California women

BACKGROUND

Severe maternal morbidity (SMM) has increased in the United States by 45% in the last decade. While the recurrence of several adverse pregnancy outcomes from one pregnancy to the next has been established, the recurrence risk of SMM is unknown.

OBJECTIVE

To determine whether women who have SMM in a first pregnancy are at increased risk of SMM in their second pregnancy, compared to women who did not have SMM in their first pregnancy.

METHODS

This is a population-based study using linked vital statistics and hospital discharge records from the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development in California from 1997 to 2012. The study population had their first two singleton births (live births or stillbirths) in California between 1997 and 2012 (n = 1 180 357). The primary exposure was SMM during the hospitalisation at first birth, and the primary outcome was SMM during the hospitalisation at second birth. Prevalence and risk ratios of SMM at second birth were computed for women who did and did not have SMM at first birth, as well as for certain specific indicators of SMM.

RESULTS

Of the 1 180 357 women included in this analysis, 9088 (77 per 10 000 births) experienced SMM at first birth. Among these women, the prevalence of SMM at second birth was 470 per 10 000 births, compared to 68 per 10 000 births among women without SMM at first birth. This corresponded to an unadjusted risk ratio of 6.87 (95% CI 6.23, 7.57), which did not differ substantially when adjusted for factors known to be associated with SMM (6.42, 95% CI 5.86, 7.13).

CONCLUSION

Women experiencing SMM in their first pregnancy were at an approximately sixfold increased risk of experiencing SMM in their second pregnancy.

Birth hospital and racial and ethnic differences in severe maternal morbidity in the state of California

BACKGROUND

Birth hospital has recently emerged as a potential key contributor to disparities in severe maternal morbidity, but investigations on its contribution to racial and ethnic differences remain limited.

OBJECTIVE

We leveraged statewide data from California to examine whether birth hospital explained racial and ethnic differences in severe maternal morbidity.

STUDY DESIGN

This cohort study used data on all births at ≥20 weeks gestation in California (2007-2012). Severe maternal morbidity during birth hospitalization was measured using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention index of having at least 1 of the 21 diagnoses and procedures (eg, eclampsia, blood transfusion, hysterectomy). Mixed-effects logistic regression models (ie, women nested within hospitals) were used to compare racial and ethnic differences in severe maternal morbidity before and after adjustment for maternal sociodemographic and pregnancy-related factors, comorbidities, and hospital characteristics. We also estimated the risk-standardized severe maternal morbidity rates for each hospital (N=245) and the percentage reduction in severe maternal morbidity if each group of racially and ethnically minoritized women gave birth at the same distribution of hospitals as non-Hispanic white women.

RESULTS

Of the 3,020,525 women who gave birth, 39,192 (1.3%) had severe maternal morbidity (2.1% Black; 1.3% US-born Hispanic; 1.3% foreign-born Hispanic; 1.3% Asian and Pacific Islander; 1.1% white; 1.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, and Mixed-race referred to as Other). Risk-standardized rates of severe maternal morbidity ranged from 0.3 to 4.0 per 100 births across hospitals. After adjusting for covariates, the odds of severe maternal morbidity were greater among nonwhite women than white women in a given hospital (Black: odds ratio, 1.25; 95% confidence interval, 1.19-1.31); US-born Hispanic: odds ratio, 1.25; 95% confidence interval, 1.20-1.29; foreign-born Hispanic: odds ratio, 1.17; 95% confidence interval, 1.11-1.24; Asian and Pacific Islander: odds ratio, 1.26; 95% confidence interval, 1.21-1.32; Other: odds ratio, 1.31; 95% confidence interval, 1.15-1.50). Among the studied hospital factors, only teaching status was associated with severe maternal morbidity in fully adjusted models. Although 33% of white women delivered in hospitals with the highest tertile of severe maternal morbidity rates compared with 53% of Black women, birth hospital only accounted for 7.8% of the differences in severe maternal morbidity comparing Black and white women and accounted for 16.1% to 24.2% of the differences for all other racial and ethnic groups.

CONCLUSION

In California, excess odds of severe maternal morbidity among racially and ethnically minoritized women were not fully explained by birth hospital. Structural causes of racial and ethnic disparities in severe maternal morbidity may vary by region, which warrants further examination to inform effective policies.

Benzodiazepine Use Before Conception and Risk of Ectopic Pregnancy

IntroductionEctopic pregnancy occurs in 1% to 2% of the all recognized pregnancies, yet half of women who have an ectopic pregnancy do not have any known risk factors. A potential but unstudied risk factor for ectopic pregnancy is benzodiazepine use, which could affect muscle contraction in the fallopian tube. Objectives and ApproachWe compared the risk of ectopic pregnancy among women with and women without benzodiazepine prescriptions before conception. using data from United States commercial insurance claims (IBM® MarketScan® Databases). We performed a cohort study of 1,691,366 pregnancies between November 1, 2008 and September 30, 2015, and used unadjusted and inverse probability of treatment (IPT) weighted log-binomial models to calculate relative risks (RR) of ectopic pregnancy for pregnant women who did and did not fill any prescriptions for benzodiazepines in the 90 days before conception. Sub-group analysis was conducted on women who had anxiety and women who had insomnia diagnoses in the year before conception. ResultsOf the 1,691,366 pregnant women, 1.06% filled at least two benzodiazepine prescriptions in the 90 days before conception. Among women with a benzodiazepine prescription, there was an excess of 80 ectopic pregnancies per 10,000 pregnancies, and their IPT-weighted risk of ectopic pregnancies was 1.47 (95% CI 1.32 to 1.63) times greater relative to women without benzodiazepine prescriptions before conception. The IPT-weighted RR between ectopic pregnancy and benzodiazepine use was 1.34 (95% CI 1.18 to 1.53) among women with anxiety disorder diagnoses and 1.28 (95% CI 0.99 to 1.68) among women with an insomnia diagnosis. Conclusion / ImplicationsThis study found that women who have a benzodiazepine prescription before conception are at an increased risk of ectopic pregnancy. This information can help women and their health care providers make more fully informed decisions about benzodiazepine use in their reproductive years.

Maternal Depression in Early Childhood and Developmental Vulnerability at School Entry

IntroductionStudies on the relationship between exposure to maternal depression in early childhood and childhood development have been limited by small samples, lack of information on timing of maternal depression, and use of a composite measure of childhood development. Objectives and ApproachWe linked multiple Manitoba datasets to examine the relationship between exposure to maternal depression in early childhood and childhood development at school entry across five domains, and age at exposure to maternal depression on developmental outcomes using a population-based cohort (n = 52,103). Maternal depression was defined using physician visits, hospitalizations, and pharmaceutical data, while developmental vulnerability was assessed using the well-validated Early Development Instrument. Relative risk of developmental vulnerability was assessed using log-binomial regression models, adjusted for maternal and childhood characteristics at the birth of the child. ResultsChildren exposed to maternal depression before age 5 had a 17% higher risk of having at least one developmental vulnerability at school entry than children not exposed to such depression before age 5. Exposure to maternal depression before age 5 was most strongly associated with social competence (aRR = 1.28, 95% CI 1.20, 1.38), physical health and well-being (aRR = 1.28, 95% CI 1.20, 1.36), and emotional maturity (aRR = 1.27, 95% CI 1.18, 1.37). For most developmental domains, exposure to maternal depression before age 1 and between ages 4 and 5 had the greatest association with developmental vulnerability. Conclusion / ImplicationsOur findings that children exposed to maternal depression were at higher risk of developmental vulnerability at school entry is consistent with previous studies. However, we found that the association between exposure to maternal depression and development varied across developmental domains, and the relationship varied depending on the age of exposure to maternal depression. Ongoing analyses of discordant cousins will shed more light on the causal nature of this relationship.

Antidepressant Use around Conception, Prepregnancy Depression, and Risk of Ectopic Pregnancy

OBJECTIVE

To compare the risk of ectopic pregnancy among women with and women without antidepressant prescriptions around conception and examine whether this risk differs by prepregnancy depression status.

METHODS

We conducted a cohort study of all pregnancies between November 1, 2008, and September 30, 2015, identified in the nationwide (American) IBM® MarketScan® Databases. At least one day's supply of antidepressants in the 3 weeks after a woman's last menstrual period defined active antidepressant use around conception. At least one depression diagnosis in the year before the last menstrual period defined prepregnancy depression. Relative risk (RR) of ectopic pregnancy was estimated using unadjusted and inverse probability of treatment (IPT)-weighted log-binomial models.

RESULTS

Of the 1,703,245 pregnancies, 106,788 (6.3%) women had a prepregnancy depression diagnosis. Among women with a depression diagnosis, 40,287 (37.7%) had an active antidepressant prescription around conception; the IPT-weighted risk of ectopic pregnancy was similar among women who did and did not fill an antidepressant prescription around conception (IPT-weighted RR = 1.01; 95% CI, 0.93 to 1.10). Overall, the risk of ectopic pregnancy was higher among women who had a prepregnancy depression diagnosis than women who did not have a prepregnancy depression diagnosis (IPT-weighted RR = 1.09; 95% CI, 1.04 to 1.15).

CONCLUSIONS

This study's findings suggest that women who have a prepregnancy depression diagnosis are at a slightly increased risk of ectopic pregnancy, and among women who have a prepregnancy depression diagnosis, the use of antidepressants around conception does not increase the risk of ectopic pregnancy.

Severe maternal morbidity among migrants with insecure residency status in Sweden 2000-2014: a population-based cohort study

BACKGROUND

Migrants with insecure residency status (i.e., undocumented migrants and asylum-seekers, who are denied or waiting for authorized residency) often experience social and psychosocial adversities and limited access to health care. Nonetheless, they have not been profiled on the risk of severe maternal morbidity (SMM), a sentinel measure of maternal health and maternity care.

METHODS

A cohort study on all births recorded in the Swedish Medical Birth Register from 2000-2014 (N = 1,570,472). Lacking a maternal personal identification number was used as an indicator for insecure residency status (1.3% of all births). We used Poisson regression models to estimate risk ratios of SMM in migrant women with insecure residency status compared to the Swedish-born or migrant women with long-term residency, adjusting for the calendar year of birth, maternal age, and parity.

RESULTS

Overall SMM rate among migrant women with insecure residency status was 21.5/1000 and 14.7/1000 among Swedish-born women. Compared to Swedish-born, migrants with insecure residency status had 50% higher risk of overall SMM (adjusted risk ratio (aRR)=1.54 [1.37-1.74]) and over 80% higher risk of SMM excluding transfusion-only cases (aRR=1.88 [1.37-2.57]). When compared to migrant women with long-term residency, migrant women with insecure residency also had a higher risk of SMM (overall SMM aRR=1.42 [1.26,1.61]; SMM excluding transfusion only cases aRR=1.43 [1.04,1.97]), suggesting that insecure residency conferred additional risks of SMM beyond migration.

CONCLUSION

Migrant women with insecure residency status had increased risk of severe maternal morbidity.

Maternal Depression in Early Childhood and Developmental Vulnerability at School Entry

OBJECTIVES

To assess the relation between exposure to maternal depression before age 5 and 5 domains of developmental vulnerability at school entry, overall, and by age at exposure.

METHODS

This cohort study included all children born in Manitoba, Canada, who completed the Early Development Instrument between 2005 and 2016 (N = 52 103). Maternal depression was defined by using physician visits, hospitalizations, and pharmaceutical data; developmental vulnerability was assessed by using the Early Development Instrument. Relative risk of developmental vulnerability was assessed by using log-binomial regression models adjusted for characteristics at birth.

RESULTS

Children exposed to maternal depression before age 5 had a 17% higher risk of having at least 1 developmental vulnerability at school entry than did children not exposed to maternal depression before age 5. Exposure to maternal depression was most strongly associated with difficulties in social competence (adjusted relative risk [aRR] = 1.28; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.20-1.38), physical health and well-being (aRR = 1.28; 95% CI: 1.20-1.36), and emotional maturity (aRR = 1.27; 95% CI: 1.18-1.37). For most developmental domains, exposure to maternal depression before age 1 and between ages 4 and 5 had the strongest association with developmental vulnerability.

CONCLUSIONS

Our finding that children exposed to maternal depression are at higher risk for developmental vulnerability at school entry is consistent with previous findings. We extended this literature by documenting that the adverse effects of exposure to maternal depression are specific to particular developmental domains and that these effects vary depending on the age at which the child is exposed to maternal depression.

Defining maternal obesity in studies of birth outcomes: Comparing ICD-9 codes at delivery and measures on the birth certificate

BACKGROUND

Using ICD-9 codes underestimates the prevalence of obesity in adults; however, the validity of these codes in studies of pregnancy-related outcomes is not known.

OBJECTIVES

To compare classification of maternal obesity based on ICD-9 codes in hospital discharge records versus data from birth certificates in the same women, examine predictors of agreement, and assess how associations between obesity and two birth outcomes differ by source of weight data.

METHODS

This population-based study included 2 329 145 California births between 2007 and 2012. We compared data on obesity from childbirth hospital discharge records (ICD-9 codes for obesity) and birth certificates (pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) calculated from weight and height) and identified predictors of agreement between the two sources. Logistic regression models assessed whether the two definitions of obesity resulted in different estimates of the associations of obesity with caesarean birth and large-for-gestational age.

RESULTS

Overall, 464 754 women (20.0%) had obesity based on their pre-pregnancy BMI while only 100 002 (4.3%) had an obesity-related ICD-9 code. The sensitivity of ICD-9-based obesity was low at 16.2%; however, obesity codes were highly specific at 98.7%, with a negative predictive value of 82.5% and a positive predictive value of 75.2%. Among women with obesity identified by the birth certificate, those with pre-pregnancy and pregnancy-related complications (eg diabetes and hypertension) were more likely to have an obesity-related diagnosis in their delivery hospital discharge record. Using ICD-9 codes overestimated the association of obesity with caesarean birth and newborn large-for-gestational age.

CONCLUSIONS

ICD-9 codes in childbirth discharge records captured only one in five women with pre-pregnancy obesity. Sensitivity varied by maternal characteristics and conditions. This misclassification resulted in bias when examining the association of obesity and pregnancy-related outcomes.

Effect of Study Duration and Outcome Measurement Frequency on Estimates of Change for Longitudinal Cohort Studies in Routinely-Collected Administrative Data

Introduction

When designing longitudinal cohort studies, investigators must make decisions about study duration (i.e. length of follow-up) and frequency of outcome measurement. This research explores these design decisions for longitudinal cohort studies constructed using routinely-collected administrative data.

Objectives

To illustrate the effects of varying study duration and frequency of outcome measurement in longitudinal cohort studies conducted using routinely-collected administrative data using a numeric example.

Methods

Linked administrative data from Manitoba, Canada were used. The cohort included mothers who experienced the death of an infant between April 1, 1999 and March 31, 2012 and a matched (three:one) group of mothers who did not experience an infant death. A generalized linear model was used to test for differences between groups in the non-linear (i.e. quadratic) and linear trend over time for the number of healthcare contacts. Holding sample size constant, models were fit to the data for various combinations of study duration and measurement frequency. Regression coefficient estimates and their standard errors were compared.

Results

A total of 2576 mothers were included; 644 experienced an infant death and 1932 were matches. Thirteen combinations of measurement frequency (one, two, three, four periods/year) and study duration (one, two, three, four years) were investigated. As frequency increased from one to four periods/year, the standard errors of the regression coefficients for the group difference in the non-linear trend (i.e. group-time-time interaction) decreased up to 98.9%. As duration increased from one to fours years, the standard errors decreased up to 96.9%. As frequency and duration increased, the estimated regression coefficients trended toward zero. Similar results were observed for the linear trend model.

Conclusion

Longitudinal cohort studies based on administrative data offer flexibility in time-related design elements, but present potential challenges. Recommendations about how to select and report design decisions in studies should be included in reporting guidelines.

Severe maternal morbidity among U.S.- and foreign-born Asian and Pacific Islander women in California

PURPOSE

The purpose of the study was to examine the risk of severe maternal morbidity (SMM)-a composite of serious, potentially life-threatening conditions related to childbirth-among subgroups of nulliparous women with Asian and Pacific Islander race/ethnicity.

METHODS

This study used linked hospital discharge and vital record data California to identify nulliparous Asian and Pacific Islander women from 1997 to 2012 (n = 453,525). We examined the risk of SMM for 15 Asian and Pacific Islander subgroups and compared the risk between U.S.- and foreign-born women.

RESULTS

The risk of SMM was higher among Pacific Islander women than that among Asian women (148 and 127 cases per 10,000 births, respectively). Among Asian women, the risk of SMM ranged from 94 (Korean) to 165 (Filipina) cases per 10,000 births, and among Pacific Islander women, the risk ranged from 125 (Hawaiian) to 162 (Other). With the exception of Korean and Filipina women, relative risks of SMM for U.S.- versus foreign-born Asian and Pacific Islander women were similar.

CONCLUSIONS

Differences in the risk of SMM exist between subgroups of the Asian and Pacific Islander community. These differences should be considered when conducting research on racial and ethnic differences of SMM and when counseling Asian and Pacific Islander women regarding their risk of SMM.

Overlap between child protection services and the youth justice system: protocol for a retrospective population-based cohort study using linked administrative data in Manitoba, Canada

INTRODUCTION

Children who have a history of involvement in child protection services (CPS) are over-represented in the youth and adult criminal justice systems. There are significant health and socioeconomic implications for individuals involved in either or both CPS and the justice system. Understanding the 'overlap' between these two systems would provide insight into the health and social needs of this population. This protocol describes a research programme on the relationship between the child welfare and the youth justice systems, looking specifically at the population involved in both CPS and the youth justice system. We will examine the characteristics associated with involvement in these systems, justice system trajectories of individuals with a history of CPS involvement and early adult outcomes of children involved in both systems.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

Administrative data sets will be linked at the individual level for three cohorts born 1991, 1994 and 1998 in Manitoba, Canada. Involvement in CPS will be categorised as 'placed in out-of-home care', 'received in-home services, but was not placed in care' or 'no involvement'. Involvement in the youth justice system will be examined through contacts with police between ages 12 and 17 that either led to charges or did not proceed. Individual, maternal and neighbourhood characteristics will be examined to identify individuals at greatest risk of involvement in one or both systems.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

The study was approved by the University of Manitoba Health Research Ethics Board and permission to access data sets has been granted by all data providers. We also received approval for the study from the First Nations Health and Social Secretariat of Manitoba's Health Information Research Governance Committee and the Manitoba Metis Federation. Strategies to disseminate study results will include engagement of stakeholders and policymakers through meetings and workshops, scientific publications and presentations, and social media.

Prenatal care among mothers involved with child protection services in Manitoba: a retrospective cohort study

BACKGROUND

Prenatal care is one of the most widely used preventive health services; however, use varies substantially. Our objective was to examine prenatal care among women with a history of having a child placed in out-of-home care, and whether their care differed from care among women who did not.

METHODS

We used linkable administrative data to create a population-based cohort of women whose first 2 children were born in Manitoba, Canada, between Apr. 1, 1998, and Mar. 1, 2015. We measured the level of prenatal care using the Revised Graduated Prenatal Care Utilization Index, which categorizes care into 5 groups: intensive, adequate, intermediate, inadequate and no care. We compared level of prenatal care for women whose first child was placed in care with level of prenatal care for women who had no contact with care services, using 2 multinomial logistic regression models to calculate odds ratios (ORs).

RESULTS

In a cohort of 52 438 mothers, 1284 (2.4%) had their first child placed in out-of-home care before conception of their second child. Mothers whose first child was placed in care had much higher rates of inadequate prenatal care during the pregnancy with their second child than mothers whose first child was not placed in care (33.0% v. 13.4%). The odds of having inadequate rather than adequate prenatal care were more than 4 times higher (OR 4.29, 95% CI 3.68 to 5.01) for women who had their first child placed in care than for women who did not have their first child placed in care.

INTERPRETATION

Mothers with a history of having a child taken into care by the child protection services system are at higher risk of having inadequate or no prenatal care in a subsequent pregnancy compared with mothers with no history of involvement with child protection services.

Revisiting the association between maternal and offspring preterm birth using a sibling design

Background

Previous studies have reported an intergenerational association between maternal and offspring preterm birth (PTB) but the nature of the association remains unclear. We assessed the association between maternal and offspring preterm birth using a quasi-experimental sibling design and distinguishing between preterm birth types.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective intergenerational cohort study of 39,573 women born singleton in Manitoba, Canada (1980–2002) who gave birth to 79,198 singleton infants (1995–2016). To account for familial confounding we defined a subcohort of 1033 sisters with discordant PTB status who subsequently gave birth and compared offspring PTB rates between 2499 differentially exposed cousins using log-binomial fixed-effects generalized estimating equation models. PTB was defined as a delivery < 37 gestation weeks, divided into spontaneous and provider-initiated.

Results

In the population cohort, mothers born preterm were more likely to give birth preterm [Adjusted Relative Risk (ARR): 1.39; 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 1.25, 1.54] and very preterm birth [ARR: 1.76; 95% CI: 1.29, 2.41]. However, in the siblings cohort, the intergenerational association was not apparent among births to sisters with discordant PTB status [ARR: 1.02; 95% CI: 0.77, 1.34 for preterm birth and ARR: 0.88; 95% CI: 0.38, 2.02 for very preterm birth]. Mothers born at term with a sister born preterm had a similarly elevated risk of delivering a preterm infant (10%) than their preterm sisters. Intergenerational patterns were observed for spontaneous PTB but not for provider-initiated PTB.

Conclusions

Our findings suggest that it is not the fact of having been born preterm that puts women at higher risk of delivering preterm, but the fact of having been born to a mother who ever delivered preterm. Consideration of a female family history of PTB may better identify women at higher risk of preterm delivery than relying on maternal preterm birth status alone. Further research may benefit from distinguishing preterm birth types.

Poverty and Early Childhood Outcomes

BACKGROUND

Children born into poverty face many challenges. Exposure to poverty comes in different forms, and children may also transition into or out of poverty. In this study, we examine the relationships among various outcomes and different levels of poverty (household and/or neighborhood poverty) at different points during a child's first 5 years.

METHODS

We used linkable administrative databases, following 46 589 children born in Manitoba, Canada, between 2000 and 2009 to age 7. Poverty is defined as those receiving welfare and those living in low-income neighborhoods. Four outcomes are measured in the first 5 years (placement in out-of-home care, externalizing mental health diagnosis, asthma diagnosis, and hospitalization for injury), with school readiness assessed between ages 5 and 7.

RESULTS

Children born into poverty had greater odds of not being ready for school than children not born into poverty (adjusted odds ratio = 1.54, 1.59, 1.26 for children born in household and neighborhood poverty, household poverty only, and neighborhood poverty only, respectively; all significant at P < .05). Similar patterns were seen across outcomes. For those born into neighborhood poverty, the odds of school readiness were higher only if children moved before age 2.

CONCLUSIONS

The level of poverty (household or neighborhood) and its duration modify the relationship between early poverty and childhood outcomes. Covariate adjustment generally weakens but does not eliminate these relationships.

Postpartum Depression and Anxiety Among Mothers Whose Child was Placed in Care of Child Protection Services at Birth: A Retrospective Cohort Study Using Linkable Administrative Data

Objectives This study examines whether mothers involved with child protection services (CPS) at the birth of their first child had higher rates of postpartum depression and anxiety. Methods A retrospective cohort of mothers whose first child was born in Manitoba, Canada between April 1, 1995 and March 31, 2015 is used. Postpartum depression and anxiety among mothers whose first child was placed in care at birth (n = 776) was compared with mothers who received services from CPS (but whose children were not placed in care) (n = 4,270), and a 3:1 matched group of mothers who had no involvement with CPS in the first year of their firstborn's life (n = 2,328). Adjusted odds ratios (AOR) of depression and anxiety diagnoses in the first year postpartum were obtained from logistic regression models. Adjusted rate ratios (ARR) of antidepressant use obtained using Poisson models. Results Mothers whose children were taken into care have greater odds of having a postpartum depression or anxiety diagnosis than mothers receiving services (AOR = 1.31; 95% CI 1.08-1.59) and those not involved with CPS (AOR = 2.13; 95% CI 1.67-2.73). Among mothers who had a postpartum depression or anxiety diagnosis, mothers whose children were placed in care had significantly higher rates of antidepressant use than mothers receiving services only (ARR = 2.00; 1.82, 2.19) and mothers who were not involved with CPS (ARR = 2.42; 95% CI 1.94-3.51). Conclusions for Practice Targeted programs should be implemented to address postpartum mental illness among mothers who are involved with CPS at the birth of their child.