Objective: Multiple studies have examined cross-generational patterns of preterm birth (PTB), yet results have been inconsistent and generally focused on primarily white populations. We examine the cross-generational PTB risk across racial/ethnic groups.
Study design: Retrospective study of 388,474 grandmother-mother-infant triads with infants drawn from birth registry of singleton live births between 2005 and 2011 in California. Using logistic regression (odds ratios [ORs] and confidence intervals [CIs]), we examined the risk of preterm delivery by gestational age, sociodemographic, socioeconomic, and obstetric clinical characteristics stratified by maternal race/ethnicity.
Results: The risk of having a preterm infant <32 weeks was greater for women born at <32 weeks (OR: 2.09, 95% CI: 1.62-2.70) and 32 to 36 weeks (OR: 1.51, 95% CI: 1.35-1.70). This increased risk of preterm delivery was present among women in all race/ethnicity groups (white [AOR: 2.00, 95% CI: 1.52-2.63), black [AOR: 1.79, 95% CI: 1.37-2.34], Hispanic [AOR: 2.39, 95% CI: 2.05-2.79], and Asian [AOR: 2.12, 95% CI: 1.20-3.91]), with hypertension as the only consistent risk factor associated with increased risk of preterm delivery.
Conclusion: Our findings suggest a cross-generational risk of PTB that is consistent across race/ethnicity with hypertension as the only consistent risk factor.
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