260617 Hypertensive Disorder Association with Low Birthweight or Preterm Birth

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Mary Wesley, MPH , Office of Health Data and Research, Mississippi State Department of Health, Jackson, MS
Connie Bish, PhD, MPH , Maternal Child Health and Health Services, Mississippi State Department of Health, Jackson, MS
Kristin Black, MPH , Department of Maternal and Child Health, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC
Lei Zhang, PhD, MBA , Office of Health Data and Research, Mississippi State Department of Health, Jackson, MS
Juanita C. Graham, MSN RN , Health Services Chief Nurse, Mississippi State Department of Health, Jackson, MS
BACKGROUND: Among delivery hospitalizations in the U.S., hypertensive disorders significantly increased from 6.7% in 1998 to 8.1% in 2006. Hypertension during pregnancy is associated with poor birth outcomes; hypertensive disorders complicate about 12-22% of pregnancies. The association between hypertensive disorders and low birthweight (LBW; <2500g) or preterm births (PTB; < 37 weeks gestation) has not been explored in Mississippi.

STUDY QUESTION: Is hypertensive disorder associated with LBW or PTB among Mississippi women?

METHODS: Mississippi 2004-2009 PRAMS was used for this cross-sectional study (n=2,751 black, 2,425 white, and 71 women of other racial groups). Black and white women who self-reported having "high blood pressure, hypertension (including pregnancy-induced hypertension), pre-eclampsia, or toxemia" during pregnancy where compared to women without hypertension. Outcomes investigated were LBW (<2500 vs. ≥2500 grams) and PTB (<37 vs. ≥37 weeks gestation). SAS 9.2 and SUDAAN 10.0 were used for analyses.

RESULTS: Women with vs. without hypertension had significantly more LBW deliveries (23.4% vs. 12.9% and 12.3% vs. 6.2%, respectively for black and white). Women with vs. without hypertension had significantly more PTB (27.3% vs. 11.9% and 18.1% vs. 8.5%, respectively for black and white). Mississippi black and white women self-reporting hypertensive disorder had about twice the odds of LBW or PTB compared with those who did not report hypertensive disorder.

CONCLUSIONS: LBW and PTB was more likely among women who self-reported hypertensive disorder.

PUBLIC HEALTH IMPLICATIONS: Regardless of race, efforts to diagnose and control hypertensive disorders during pregnancy are recommended to reduce LBW and PTB.

Learning Areas:
Chronic disease management and prevention
Public health or related research

Learning Objectives:
Describe the relationship between hypertensive disorders and low birth weight births or pre term births.

Keywords: Hypertension, Birth Outcomes

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am Chief Nurse for Health Services at Mississippi State Department of Health, and I have conducted extensive research on maternal and child health issues in Mississippi.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 5023.0: Perinatal and Women's Health Poster Session