The Effect of Socioeconomic Status on All-Cause Maternal Mortality: A Nationwide Population-Based Cohort Study

Wonjeong Jeong, Sung-In Jang, Eun-Cheol Park and Jin Young Nam
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Wonjeong Jeong: Department of Public Health, Graduate School, Yonsei University, Seoul 03722, Korea
Sung-In Jang: Institute of Health Services Research, Yonsei University, Seoul 03722, Korea
Eun-Cheol Park: Institute of Health Services Research, Yonsei University, Seoul 03722, Korea
Jin Young Nam: Department of Public Health Science, BK21PLUS Program in Embodiment, Health-Society Interaction, Graduate School, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Korea

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 12, 1-13

Abstract: Improving maternal health is one of the 13 targets of Sustainable Development Goal 3; consequently, preventing maternal death, which usually occurs in women’s prime productive years, is an important issue that needs to be addressed immediately. This study examines the association between socioeconomic status and all-cause maternal mortality in South Korea and provides evidence of preventable risk factors for maternal death. For this population-based retrospective cohort study, data on 3,334,663 nulliparous women were extracted from the Korean National Health Insurance Service database between 2003 and 2018. The outcome variables were all-cause maternal mortality within six weeks and a year after childbirth. A log-binomial regression model determined the association between maternal mortality and income-level adjusted covariates. Women with lower income levels had higher risk of maternal death within six weeks (risk ratio (RR) = 2.42, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.65–3.53) and within one year (RR = 1.83, 95% CI = 1.47–2.28), especially those who were aged 35–39 years, lived in rural areas, delivered via cesarean section, and had maternal comorbidities. The study identifies a significant relationship between South Korean primiparas’ socioeconomic status and maternal death within six weeks or one year after childbirth, suggesting interventions to alleviate the risk of maternal death.

Keywords: maternal death; maternal mortality; socioeconomic status; primipara; childbirth (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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