A population-based study of the effect of pregnancy history on risk of stillbirth

ObjectiveTo examine the effect of pregnancy history on the risk of stillbirth. MethodsIn a population-based cross-sectional study, data were reviewed from all women aged at least 20years with singleton pregnancies in Finland between 2000 and 2010. The primary outcomestillbirthwas defined as fetal death after 22 gestational weeks or death of a fetus weighing at least 500g. ResultsAmong 604047 singleton pregnancies, the prevalence of stillbirth was 3.17 per 1000 deliveries. Prevalence was lowest for multiparous women without previous pregnancy loss after adjusting for major pregnancy complications associated with stillbirth (placenta previa, placental abruption, and pre-eclampsia) and other confounders. Relative to these women, stillbirth prevalence was higher among multiparous women with previous spontaneous abortion and/or stillbirth (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.20, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.05-1.36), nulliparous women with no previous pregnancy loss (aOR 1.23, 95% CI 1.10-1.38), and nulliparous women with prior spontaneous abortion (aOR 1.43, 95% CI 1.18-1.74). ConclusionPrevious pregnancy loss was found to be an independent risk factor for stillbirth, irrespective of the number of prior deliveries. Spontaneous abortion assessed as a part of pregnancy history was found to be an independent risk factor for stillbirth.Peer reviewe

Recherche Collaborative Entre le Canada et la République Démocratique du Congo. Sages-Femmes et l'Aspiration IntraUtérine Manuelle suite aux Avortements Incomplets dans la Ville de Kinshasa

Introduction : Les approches de collaboration transnationale sont un moyen de soutenir la recherche par et pour les sages-femmes. Cet article décrit une approche de recherche équitable de collaboration transnationale avec l'Association des sages-femmes congolaises pour examiner l'intégration de l'aspiration manuelle intra-utérine par les sages-femmes à la suite d'une formation continue. Méthodes : Un cadre d'équité pour la recherche collaborative a été employé pour le processus de recherche. La recherche a utilisé une approche méthodologique mixte de déviance positive pour identifier les sages-femmes qui ont pratiqué l'aspiration manuelle intra-utérine (AMIU) après la formation et a exploré les facteurs favorables à cette pratique. Résultats : Parmi les 102 sages-femmes, 34 % ont déclaré avoir pratiqué l'AMIU à la suite de leur formation lors d’un avortement incomplet. Les sagesfemmes à déviance positive, celles qui pratiquaient l'AMIU, ont démontré et décrit plus de confiance et de compétence dans la pratique et l'enseignement de la procédure. Elles étaient plus disposées à s'identifier comme enseignantes, à surmonter les barrières interprofessionnelles pour enseigner l'AMIU aux autres prestataires, et à se positionner comme expertes dans les situations d'urgence en matière de soins après-avortement. Discussion :Les sages-femmes déviantes positives ont utilisé des stratégies au cours des urgences pour pratiquer l'AMIU en toute sécurité et ont augmenté la crédibilité des sages-femmes tout en diffusant des pratiques fondées sur des données probantes. Conclusion : Les programmes ultérieurs peuvent collaborer avec des sagesfemmes déviantes positives en tant que vulgarisateurs et courtiers de connaissances sur la diffusion de l’AMIU par des sages-femmes, ce qui peut améliorer l'accès à des soins reproductifs sûrs et respectueux. Introduction: Transnational collaborative approaches are a means of supporting research production by and for midwives. This article describes an equitable research approach to transnational collaboration with the Congolese Midwives‘ Association to examine the integration of manual intrauterine vacuum aspiration by midwives following a continuing education intervention. Methods: An equity framework for collaborative research was applied throughout the research process (design, operationalisation and dissemination). The research used a positive deviance mixed method approach to identify midwives who practised manual vacuum aspiration (MVA) after training and explored enabling factors. Results: Of the 102 midwives, 34% reported using MVA after training for incomplete abortion. Positive deviance midwives, those practising MVA, demonstrated and described more confidence and competence in practising and teaching the procedure. They were more willing to identify themselves as teachers, overcome inter-professional barriers in teaching MVA to doctors, medical students, and other midwives, and positioned themselves as experts in post-abortion care emergencies. Discussion: The results provided important insights into integrating postabortion care by midwives in Kinshasa. Equity-based research collaborations help support the work of midwifery associations and advance the role of midwives in achieving abortion provision. Positive deviant midwives used strategies during emergencies to safely practice MVA and increased the credibility of midwives while disseminating evidence-based practices. Conclusion: Future programs can work with positive deviant midwives as knowledge brokers on the diffusion of midwifery-led manual vacuum aspiration, which can improve access to safe and respectful reproductive care

Collaborations de Recherche Equitables sur la Pratique des Sages-Femmes : Exploration de l'Intégration de l'Aspiration Intra-Utérine Manuelle Réalisée par des Sages-Femmes Lors des Avortements Incomplets dans la Ville de Kinshasa, en République Démocratiq

Introduction : Les approches de collaboration transnationale sont un moyen de soutenir la recherche par et pour les sages-femmes. Cet article décrit une approche de recherche équitable de collaboration transnationale avec l'Association des sages-femmes congolaises pour examiner l'intégration de l'aspiration manuelle intra-utérine par les sages-femmes à la suite d'une formation continue. Méthodes : Un cadre d'équité pour la recherche collaborative a été employé pour le processus de recherche. La recherche a utilisé une approche méthodologique mixte de déviance positive pour identifier les sages-femmes qui ont pratiqué l'aspiration manuelle intra-utérine (AMIU) après la formation et a exploré les facteurs favorables à cette pratique. Résultats : Parmi les 102 sages-femmes, 34 % ont déclaré avoir pratiqué l'AMIU après leur formation lors d’un avortement incomplet. Les sages-femmes à déviance positive, celles qui pratiquaient l'AMIU, ont démontré et décrit plus de confiance et de compétence dans la pratique et l'enseignement de la procédure. Elles étaient plus disposées à s'identifier comme enseignantes, à surmonter les barrières interprofessionnelles pour enseigner l'AMIU aux autres prestataires, et à se positionner comme expertes dans les situations d'urgence en matière de soins après-avortement. Conclusion : Les sages-femmes déviantes positives ont utilisé des stratégies au cours des urgences pour pratiquer l'AMIU en toute sécurité et ont augmenté la crédibilité des sages-femmes tout en diffusant des pratiques fondées sur des données probantes. Les programmes ultérieurs peuvent collaborer avec des sages-femmes déviantes positives en tant que vulgarisateurs courtiers de connaissances sur la diffusion de l’AMIU par des sages-femmes, ce qui peut améliorer l'accès à des soins reproductifs sûrs et respectueux.   Introduction: Transnational collaborative approaches are a means of supporting research production by and for midwives. This article describes an equitable research approach to transnational collaboration with the Congolese Midwives‘ Association to examine the integration of manual intrauterine vacuum aspiration by midwives following a continuing education intervention. Methods: An equity framework for collaborative research was applied throughout the research process (design, operationalisation and dissemination). The research used a positive deviance mixed method approach to identify midwives who practised manual vacuum aspiration (MVA) after training and explored enabling factors. Results: Of the 102 midwives, 34% reported using MVA after training for incomplete abortion. Positive deviance midwives, those practising MVA, demonstrated and described more confidence and competence in practising and teaching the procedure. They were more willing to identify themselves as teachers, overcome inter-professional barriers in teaching MVA to doctors, medical students, and other midwives, and positioned themselves as experts in post-abortion care emergencies. Discussion: The results provided important insights into integrating post-abortion care by midwives in Kinshasa. Equity-based research collaborations help support the work of midwifery associations and advance the role of midwives in achieving abortion provision. Conclusion: Positive deviant midwives used strategies during emergencies to safely practice MVA and increased the credibility of midwives while disseminating evidence-based practices. Future programs can work with positive deviant midwives as knowledge brokers on the diffusion of midwifery-led manual vacuum aspiration, which can improve access to safe and respectful reproductive care

Do measures matter? Comparing surface-density-derived and census-tract-derived measures of racial residential segregation

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Racial residential segregation is hypothesized to affect population health by systematically patterning health-relevant exposures and opportunities according to individuals' race or income. Growing interest into the association between residential segregation and health disparities demands more rigorous appraisal of commonly used measures of segregation. Most current studies rely on census tracts as approximations of the local residential environment when calculating segregation indices of either neighborhoods or metropolitan areas. Because census tracts are arbitrary in size and shape, reliance on this geographic scale limits understanding of place-health associations. More flexible, explicitly spatial derivations of traditional segregation indices have been proposed but have not been compared with tract-derived measures in the context of health disparities studies common to social epidemiology, health demography, or medical geography. We compared segregation measured with tract-derived as well as GIS surface-density-derived indices. Measures were compared by region and population size, and segregation measures were linked to birth record to estimate the difference in association between segregation and very preterm birth. Separate analyses focus on metropolitan segregation and on neighborhood segregation.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Across 231 metropolitan areas, tract-derived and surface-density-derived segregation measures are highly correlated. However overall correlation obscures important differences by region and metropolitan size. In general the discrepancy between measure types is greatest for small metropolitan areas, declining with increasing population size. Discrepancies in measures are greatest in the South, and smallest in Western metropolitan areas. Choice of segregation index changed the magnitude of the measured association between segregation and very preterm birth. For example among black women, the risk ratio for very preterm birth in metropolitan areas changed from 2.12 to 1.68 for the effect of high versus low segregation when using surface-density-derived versus tract-derived segregation indices. Variation in effect size was smaller but still present in analyses of neighborhood racial composition and very preterm birth in Atlanta neighborhoods.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Census tract-derived measures of segregation are highly correlated with recently introduced spatial segregation measures, but the residual differences among measures are not uniform for all areas. Use of surface-density-derived measures provides researchers with tools to further explore the spatial relationships between segregation and health disparities.</p

Obstetric transition in the World Health Organization Multicountry Survey on Maternal and Newborn Health: exploring pathways for maternal mortality reduction.

Objective: To test whether the proposed features of the Obstetric Transition Model-a theoretical framework that may explain gradual changes that countries experience as they eliminate avoidable maternal mortality-are observed in a large, multicountry, maternal and perinatal health database; and to discuss the dynamic process of maternal mortality reduction using this model as a theoretical framework. Methods: This was a secondary analysis of a cross-sectional study by the World Health Organization that collected information on more than 300 000 women who delivered in 359 health facilities in 29 countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East, during a 2-4-month period in 2010-2011. The ratios of Potentially Life-Threatening Conditions, Severe Maternal Outcomes, Maternal Near Miss, and Maternal Death were estimated and stratified by stages of obstetric transition. The characteristics of each stage are defined. Results: Data from 314 623 women showed that female fertility, indirectly estimated by parity, was higher in countries at a lower obstetric transition stage, ranging from a mean of 3 children in Stage II to 1.8 children in Stage IV. Medicalization increased with obstetric transition stage. In Stage IV, women had 2.4 times the cesarean deliveries (15.3% in Stage II and 36.7% in Stage IV) and 2.6 times the labor inductions (7.1% in Stage II and 18.8% in Stage IV) as women in Stage II. The mean age of primiparous women also increased with stage. The occurrence of uterine rupture had a decreasing trend, dropping by 5.2 times, from 178 to 34 cases per 100 000 live births, as a country transitioned from Stage II to IV. Conclusions: This analysis supports the concept of obstetric transition using multicountry data. The Obstetric Transition Model could provide justification for customizing strategies for reducing maternal mortality according to a country\u27s stage in the obstetric transition

Identifying bottlenecks in the iron and folic acid supply chain in Bihar, India: a mixed-methods study

Background: Maternal anaemia prevalence in Bihar, India remains high despite government mandated iron supplementation targeting pregnant women. Inadequate supply has been identified as a potential barrier to iron and folic acid (IFA) receipt. Our study objective was to examine the government health system’s IFA supply and distribution system and identify bottlenecks contributing to insufficient IFA supply. Methods: Primary data collection was conducted in November 2011 and July 2012 across 8 districts in Bihar, India. A cross-sectional, observational, mixed methods approach was utilized. Auxiliary Nurse Midwives were surveyed on current IFA supply and practices. In-depth interviews (n = 59) were conducted with health workers at state, district, block, health sub-centre, and village levels. Results: Overall, 44% of Auxiliary Nurse Midwives were out of IFA stock. Stock levels and supply chain practices varied greatly across districts. Qualitative data revealed specific bottlenecks impacting IFA forecasting, procurement, storage, disposal, lack of personnel, and few training opportunities for key players in the supply chain. Conclusions: Inadequate IFA supply is a major constraint to the IFA supplementation program, the extent of which varies widely across districts. Improvements at all levels of infrastructure, practices, and effective monitoring will be critical to strengthen the IFA supply chain in Bihar

Epidemiology's Continuing Contribution to Public Health: The Power of “Then and Now”

The 47th annual meeting of the Society for Epidemiologic Research hosted 17 invited speakers charged by the Executive Committee with presenting some of the many ways that epidemiologists have improved the health of the general population. There were 9 “Then and Now” sessions that were structured to focus on how early epidemiologists overcame research hurdles and advanced health through innovative strategies. For most topics, a longstanding expert was paired with an excellent contemporary epidemiologist working in the area, and both were given the freedom to deliver an integrated story about epidemiology's temporal role in protecting and promoting public health. Epidemiologic discoveries in cardiovascular, cancer, and perinatal epidemiology were discussed on day 1, followed by discussions of accomplishments in reducing exposures that adversely impact health (nutrition, environment/occupation, and tobacco use) on day 2. Topics with relevancy for many aspects of epidemiology were presented on day 3, including infectious diseases, social forces, and causal thinking in epidemiologic research. Given the large number of outstanding senior and junior epidemiologists that attended the meeting, choosing speakers was a unique challenge. What became evident from all sessions was the passion that epidemiologists have for population health, tempered with concerns for remaining true to epidemiologic principles, the timely adoption of innovative methods, and the responsible interpretation of research findings

Fetal Growth and Risk of Stillbirth: A Population-Based Case–Control Study

Background: Stillbirth is strongly related to impaired fetal growth. However, the relationship between fetal growth and stillbirth is difficult to determine because of uncertainty in the timing of death and confounding characteristics affecting normal fetal growth. Methods and Findings: We conducted a population-based case–control study of all stillbirths and a representative sample of live births in 59 hospitals in five geographic areas in the US. Fetal growth abnormalities were categorized as small for gestational age (SGA) (90th percentile) at death (stillbirth) or delivery (live birth) using population, ultrasound, and individualized norms. Gestational age at death was determined using an algorithm that considered the time-of-death interval, postmortem examination, and reliability of the gestational age estimate. Data were weighted to account for the sampling design and differential participation rates in various subgroups. Among 527 singleton stillbirths and 1,821 singleton live births studied, stillbirth was associated with SGA based on population, ultrasound, and individualized norms (odds ratio [OR] [95% CI]: 3.0 [2.2 to 4.0]; 4.7 [3.7 to 5.9]; 4.6 [3.6 to 5.9], respectively). LGA was also associated with increased risk of stillbirth using ultrasound and individualized norms (OR [95% CI]: 3.5 [2.4 to 5.0]; 2.3 [1.7 to 3.1], respectively), but not population norms (OR [95% CI]: 0.6 [0.4 to 1.0]). The associations were stronger with more severe SGA and LGA (95th percentile). Analyses adjusted for stillbirth risk factors, subset analyses excluding potential confounders, and analyses in preterm and term pregnancies showed similar patterns of association. In this study 70% of cases and 63% of controls agreed to participate. Analysis weights accounted for differences between consenting and non-consenting women. Some of the characteristics used for individualized fetal growth estimates were missing and were replaced with reference values. However, a sensitivity analysis using individualized norms based on the subset of stillbirths and live births with non-missing variables showed similar findings. Conclusions: Stillbirth is associated with both growth restriction and excessive fetal growth. These findings suggest that, contrary to current practices and recommendations, stillbirth prevention strategies should focus on both severe SGA and severe LGA pregnancies

The association between gestational weight gain z-score and stillbirth: a case-control study

Background There is limited information on potentially modifiable risk factors for stillbirth, such as gestational weight gain (GWG). Our purpose was to explore the association between GWG and stillbirth using the GWG z−score. Methods We analyzed 479 stillbirths and 1601 live births from the Stillbirth Collaborative Research Network case−control study. Women with triplets or monochorionic twins were excluded from analysis. We evaluated the association between GWG z−score (modeled as a restricted cubic spline with knots at the 5th, 50th, and 95th percentiles) and stillbirth using multivariable logistic regression with generalized estimating equations, adjusting for pre − pregnancy body mass index (BMI) and other confounders. In addition, we conducted analyses stratified by pre − pregnancy BMI category (normal weight, overweight, obese). Results Mean GWG was 18.95 (SD 17.6) lb. among mothers of stillbirths and 30.89 (SD 13.3) lb. among mothers of live births; mean GWG z−score was − 0.39 (SD 1.5) among mothers of cases and − 0.17 (SD 0.9) among control mothers. In adjusted analyses, the odds of stillbirth were elevated for women with very low GWG z−scores (e.g., adjusted odds ratio (aOR) and 95% Confidence Interval (CI) for z−score − 1.5 SD versus 0 SD: 1.52 (1.30, 1.78); aOR (95% CI) for z−score − 2.5 SD versus 0 SD: 2.36 (1.74, 3.20)). Results differed slightly by pre − pregnancy BMI. The odds of stillbirth were slightly elevated among women with overweight BMI and GWG z−scores ≥1 SD (e.g., aOR (95% CI) for z−score of 1.5 SD versus 0 SD: 1.84 (0.97, 3.50)). Conclusions GWG z−scores below − 1.5 SD are associated with increased odds of stillbirth