Abstract

Background: Despite numerous studies of women having children later in life, evidence of the relationship between maternal factors and newborn outcomes in Central and Eastern European countries is limited. This study aimed to examine the association between maternal age, biological determinants, including parity and sex of the newborn, demographic and social background, and birth weight in 3.8 million singleton live births in Poland. Methods: The effect of maternal age on birth weight (in grams and Z-scores) adjusted for confounders was assessed using Generalized Linear Models. Results: The mean (±SD) birth weights of neonates born to primiparous women and multiparous women were 3356.3 ± 524.9 g and 3422.7 ± 538.6 g, respectively, which corresponded to a Z-score of −0.07 ± 0.96 and 0.14 ± 1.00, respectively (p ≤ 0.001). After controlling for biological, demographic, and social factors, a significant decrease in birth weight was found for primiparous women of the age group ≥30 years and multiparous women aged ≥35 years compared to the age group of 25–29 years. The lowest neonatal birth weight was observed in the case of women aged ≥45 years. Confounders did not affect birth weight Z-scores among primiparous women, whereas among multiparous women, together with educational factors, they reversed Z-scores from positive to negative values. The lower birth weight of neonates was overall associated with lower maternal education. Conclusions: Regardless of parity, advanced maternal age is strongly associated with a decreased neonatal birth weight, implying complications in early pregnancy and the antenatal period as well as obstetric complications. Counseling to support women’s family planning decisions and improving women’s education during their reproductive age may help to alleviate unfavorable newborn outcomes.

Highlights

  • Birth weight is a critical parameter for assessing neonatal health and a predictor of newborn growth and survival [1]

  • The aim of this study was to examine the associations between maternal characteristics, such as age, biological determinants, demographic and social background, and birth weight in 3.8 million singleton live births in Poland, using data collected from the Polish

  • We used the data collected from the Central Statistical Office (CSO) in Poland on live births based on 3,918,344 individual records

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Summary

Introduction

Birth weight is a critical parameter for assessing neonatal health and a predictor of newborn growth and survival [1]. Genetic determinant and biological effects in utero (fetal, placental, and maternal) are the major factors influencing the antenatal development and final neonatal size, some other important predictors of birth weight, such as age, parity, and maternal anthropometry have been reported to play a role [2,3,4]. Factors such as social status-related support, lifestyle (i.e., diet and smoking), and health care may explain birth weight inequalities among neonates [5].

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