Print  Close

New Prenatal Care Index: Statistical Explorations into Birth Outcomes by Race and Ethnicity

Eric Calloway Co-Author
Gretchen Swanson Center for Nutrition, Omaha, Nebraska, USA
 
Ilana Chertok Co-Author
Ohio University College of Health Sciences and Professions, Athens, Ohio, USA
 
Haile Zelalem Co-Author
Department of Social Medicine, Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, Dublin, OH
 
Sueny Paloma Lima dos Santos Presenting Author
 
Sunday, Aug 4: 4:50 PM - 5:05 PM
3492 
Contributed Papers 
Oregon Convention Center 
Disparities in preterm and small for gestational age (SGA) among racial/ethnic groups are public health challenges in the U.S. The Comprehensive Prenatal Care Index (CPCI) was developed to assess the impact of prenatal care. We analyzed PRAMS data from 139,243 participants between 2016 and 2021. The CPCI was validated via Rasch modeling and analyzed with SAS PROC SURVEY, adjusting for demographic and health variables. The CPCI significantly influenced preterm, intermediate, and adequate quality care, increasing the odds of full-term birth by 56% and 91.3%, respectively. For SGA, intermediate care raised odds to 1.093 and adequate care to 1.149. Demonstrating uniform benefits across races/ethnicities, the CPCI highlights the significance of comprehensive prenatal care. In contrast, the Kotelchuck showed an increase in preterm birth risk only within its 'Adequate Plus' category, while the Kessner provided a mixed protective effect. The CPCI robustly predicts preterm and SGA outcomes, demonstrating that superior prenatal care significantly lowers birth outcome risks. It underscores the significance of comprehensive prenatal care components beyond mere healthcare utilization.

Keywords

Prenatal care

Preterm birth

Small for gestational age

Comprehensive Prenatal Care Index

Racial and Ethnic disparities 

Main Sponsor

Section on Statistics in Epidemiology