Is there an association between family members' season of birth that could influence birth seasonality? Evidence from Spain and France.

The number of births varies by season. Research on birth seasonality has shown that women's season of birth somehow influences that of their children, but factors underlying the intergenerational transmission of birth seasonality remain unknown. With data from Spain and France, we analysed the possibility of transmission of birth season between generations, testing whether relatives tended to be born in the same season.

Developing and testing a protocol using a common data model for federated collection and analysis of national perinatal health indicators in Europe.

International comparisons of the health of mothers and babies provide essential benchmarks for guiding health practice and policy, but statistics are not routinely compiled in a comparable way. These data are especially critical during health emergencies, such as the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. The Population Health Information Research Infrastructure (PHIRI) project aimed to promote the exchange of population data in Europe and included a Use Case on perinatal health.

Influence of sociodemographic factors in birth seasonality in Spain.

Objectives: The goal of the present research is to establish for the first time a hierarchy of sociodemographic factors according to their importance influencing birth seasonality.

Methods: We used Vital Statistics data on all births registered in Spain in the period 2016-2019. Differences in the degree of seasonality between sociodemographic groups (defined by maternal age, maternal marital status, maternal education, birth order, maternal job qualification, maternal employment status, maternal location population size, and maternal country of birth) were first examined with descriptive techniques.

An impact evaluation of the strategy for normal birth care on caesarean section rates and perinatal mortality in Spain.

The objectives of this research are to evaluate the impact of a health policy (the Strategy for Normal Birth Care, EAPN) on caesarean rates and perinatal mortality in Spanish public hospitals belonging to the National Health System (NHS) and to assess the related cost savings. Data from the Spanish Ministry of Health for the period 2002-2011 and quantitative impact evaluation techniques (double difference method) are used to compare the effects of this policy in a treatment group composed of the NHS hospitals and a control group made up of private for-profit hospitals outside the scope of the EAPN. Both groups are compared some years before and after the health policy initiated in 2006 and approved in October 2007.