Associations between Maternal Health-Related Quality of Life during Pregnancy and Birth Outcomes: The Generation R Study

Guannan Bai, Ida J Korfage, Eva Mautner and Hein Raat
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Guannan Bai: Department of Public Health, Erasmus MC-University Medical Centre Rotterdam, Wytemaweg 80, Rotterdam, 3015 CN South Holland, The Netherlands
Ida J Korfage: Department of Public Health, Erasmus MC-University Medical Centre Rotterdam, Wytemaweg 80, Rotterdam, 3015 CN South Holland, The Netherlands
Eva Mautner: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical University of Graz, Auenbruggerpl. 2, Graz 8036, Austria
Hein Raat: Department of Public Health, Erasmus MC-University Medical Centre Rotterdam, Wytemaweg 80, Rotterdam, 3015 CN South Holland, The Netherlands

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 16, issue 21, 1-13

Abstract: The objective of this study was to assess associations between maternal health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in early, mid-, and late pregnancy and birth outcomes and to assess the differences in birth outcomes between subgroups of mothers reporting relatively “low” and relatively “high” HRQoL. HRQoL was measured by the 12-item Short Form Health Survey in early (n = 6334), mid- (n = 6204), and late pregnancy (n = 6048) in a population-based mother and child cohort; Physical and Mental Component Summary (PCS/MCS) scores were calculated. Birth outcomes included pregnancy duration, preterm birth, birth weight, low birth weight, and small for gestational age. We defined very high PCS/MCS scores as the >90th percentile and very low score as the <10th percentile. The lower PCS score in late pregnancy was significantly associated with a higher chance of having small-for-gestational-age birth (per 10 points: OR = 1.20, 95% CI: 1.08, 1.33, p value = 0.0006). In early, mid-, and late pregnancy, the subgroup mothers with a low MCS score had infants with a lower average birth weight than those with very high scores ( p < 0.05). The association between higher physical HRQoL in late pregnancy and a higher chance of having small-for-gestational-age birth needs further research. The role of mother’s mental HRQoL during pregnancy and the potential consequences for the child require further study.

Keywords: birth outcomes; pregnancy; quality of life (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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