RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Parental Attitudes About a Pregnancy Predict Birth Weight in a Low-Income Population
JF The Annals of Family Medicine
JO Ann Fam Med
FD American Academy of Family Physicians
SP 145
OP 149
DO 10.1370/afm.57
VO 2
IS 2
A1 Robert D. Keeley
A1 Alison Birchard
A1 Perry Dickinson
A1 John Steiner
A1 L. Miriam Dickinson
A1 Susan Rymer
A1 Blake Palmer
A1 Torri Derback
A1 Allison Kempe
YR 2004
UL http://www.annfammed.org/content/2/2/145.abstract
AB BACKGROUND Low birth weight remains the primary cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality in the United States. We examined whether maternal happiness about a pregnancy, in addition to her report of the father’s happiness, predicts birth weight and risk for low birth weight (<2,500 g). METHODS In this prospective cohort study, the mother’s report of her and her partner’s happiness about the pregnancy was measured before 21 weeks’ gestation on a scale from 1 to10 (1 to 3 unhappy, 4 to 7 ambivalent, or 8 to 10 happy). “Mother reports partner happier” occurred when the mother perceived the father’s happiness score at least 5 points greater than her own. Information on birth weights and maternal sociodemographic, medical, and psychosocial factors were obtained from surveys and medical records. RESULTS Of 162 live births, 9 were low birth weight (5.6%). Compared with women who reported happiness with the pregnancy, risk for low birth weight was greater when the mother reported partner happier about the pregnancy (relative risk 10.0, 95% confidence interval, 3.1–32.4). This predictor of birth weight remained significant in multivariate linear regression analyses (coefficient = −472 g, SE = 171 g, P = .007) after adjustment for other known predictors of birth weight. CONCLUSIONS Maternal report of greater partner happiness about a pregnancy is associated with birth weight and appears to define low- and high-risk subgroups for low birth weight in a low-income population. Further study in larger samples is needed to confirm our findings and to assess whether maternal report of greater partner happiness is itself a modifiable factor or is a marker for other factors that might be modified with targeted interventions.