Aggregate burden of maternal binge drinking on preterm birth in the United States

Objectives: Alcohol use during pregnancy has been linked to a variety of adverse birth and infant health outcomes. Heavy and binge drinking are associated with increased risk of preterm birth. This study aims to estimate the aggregate burden of maternal drinking on preterm birth across sociodemographic groups in the U.S. in 2008. Methods: A discrete event simulation model was developed to estimate the number of preterm births due to maternal binge drinking. Model inputs included numbers and rates of births and preterm births in 2008 from the National Center for Health Statistic; female population by childbearing age groups from the U.S. Census; increased relative risks of preterm births due to maternal drinking extracted from the literature; and adjusted prevalence of binge drinking among pregnant women estimated in a multivariate logistic regression model using data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. Results: The most conservative estimate attributed maternal binge drinking to 9,296 preterm births (1.85% of all preterm births) in 2008. The estimated rate of preterm birth due to maternal drinking was 1.68% among all preterm births to White women, 0.70% among Black women, 3.47% among Hispanic women, and 2.50% among other races. Compared to other age groups, women ages 40-44 had the highest adjusted binge drinking rate and highest preterm birth rate due to maternal binge drinking (4.76%). Conclusions: Maternal binge drinking contributed significantly to preterm birth and differentially across sociodemographic groups.