Abstract
BackgroundMany maternal factors are known to be associated with adverse birth outcomes, but studies about paternal factors yielded inconsistent conclusions. The study was to assess whether paternal factors are associated with low birth weight (LBW), preterm birth (PTB), and small for gestational age (SGA).MethodsA birth cohort study was conducted in 2010–2012 at the Gansu Provincial Maternity and Child Care Hospital, the largest maternity and childcare hospital in Lanzhou, China. Paternal age, ethnicity, educational level, height, weight, smoking, and drinking were collected. Birth outcomes and pregnancy complications were extracted from the medical records.ResultsDuring the study period, 10,121 participants were included; the overall prevalence of LBW, PTB, and SGA was 7.2, 9.9, and 7.8%, respectively. Paternal higher height (OR = 0.64 95%CI: 0.49, 0.83), higher weight (P for trend < 0.001), and higher BMI (P for trend < 0.001) could decrease the rate of LBW. Paternal higher education (OR = 0.55, 95%CI: 0.43, 0.71) and higher weight (P for trend < 0.001,) were associated with lower rate of PTB. Fathers who smoked more than 6 pack-years were associated with PTB (OR = 1.31, 95%CI: 1.07, 1.61). Paternal BMI > 23.9 kg/m2 (P for trend < 0.001,) and paternal education which above college (OR = 0.61, 95%CI: 0.50, 0.82) were associated with a lower rate of SGA.ConclusionPaternal low education is independently associated with PTB and SGA. Paternal heavy smoking is associated with PTB. Low paternal weight/BMI is independently associated with LBW, PTB, and SGA.
Highlights
Many maternal factors are known to be associated with adverse birth outcomes, but studies about paternal factors yielded inconsistent conclusions
Some studies observed that advanced paternal age was associated with an increased risk of low birth weight (LBW) [3] and preterm birth (PTB) [4], while others showed that young paternal age was a risk factor for LBW, PTB, and small for gestational age (SGA) [4, 5]
Information on birth outcomes and maternal complications during pregnancy was obtained from the medical records, minimizing misclassification. This is the first study in China to show low paternal education and low weight are associated with a higher incidence of PTB and SGA
Summary
Many maternal factors are known to be associated with adverse birth outcomes, but studies about paternal factors yielded inconsistent conclusions. The study was to assess whether paternal factors are associated with low birth weight (LBW), preterm birth (PTB), and small for gestational age (SGA). Various adverse birth outcomes including low birth weight (LBW), preterm birth (PTB), and small for gestational age (SGA) are associated with increased neonatal morbidity and mortality [1], and even have a long-term impact in childhood and adulthood [2]. Several studies reported no associations between paternal age and LBW [6], PTB [7], and SGA [6]. Socioeconomic status (SES), especially education, has been suggested to be associated with different adverse birth outcomes, but paternal SES information is not routinely collected in most studies. Four studies reported that less than a high school education was
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