Ranked severe maternal morbidity index for population-level surveillance at delivery hospitalization based on hospital discharge data.

Background: Severe maternal morbidity (SMM) is broadly defined as an unexpected and potentially life-threatening event associated with labor and delivery. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) produced 21 different indicators based on International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) hospital diagnostic and procedure codes to identify cases of SMM.

Objectives: To examine existing SMM indicators and determine which indicators identified the most in-hospital mortality at delivery hospitalization.

Hypertensive Disorders in Pregnancy and Mortality at Delivery Hospitalization - United States, 2017-2019.

Hypertensive disorders in pregnancy (HDPs), defined as prepregnancy (chronic) or pregnancy-associated hypertension, are common pregnancy complications in the United States.* HDPs are strongly associated with severe maternal complications, such as heart attack and stroke (1), and are a leading cause of pregnancy-related death in the United States. CDC analyzed nationally representative data from the National Inpatient Sample to calculate the annual prevalence of HDP among delivery hospitalizations and by maternal characteristics, and the percentage of in-hospital deaths with an HDP diagnosis code documented.

Frequency of cannabis use during pregnancy and adverse infant outcomes, by cigarette smoking status - 8 PRAMS states, 2017.

Background: Research on prenatal cannabis use and adverse infant outcomes is inconsistent, and findings vary by frequency of use or cigarette use. We assess (1) the prevalence of high frequency (≥once/week), low frequency (
Methods: Cross-sectional data from 8 states' 2017 Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (n = 5548) were analyzed.

Good practices for the design, analysis, and interpretation of observational studies on birth spacing and perinatal health outcomes.

Background: Meta-analyses of observational studies have shown that women with a shorter interpregnancy interval (the time from delivery to start of a subsequent pregnancy) are more likely to experience adverse pregnancy outcomes, such as preterm delivery or small for gestational age birth, than women who space their births further apart. However, the studies used to inform these estimates have methodological shortcomings.

Methods: In this commentary, we summarise the discussions of an expert workgroup describing good practices for the design, analysis, and interpretation of observational studies of interpregnancy interval and adverse perinatal health outcomes.

Report of the Office of Population Affairs' expert work group meeting on short birth spacing and adverse pregnancy outcomes: Methodological quality of existing studies and future directions for research.

Background: The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that women wait at least 24 months after a livebirth before attempting a subsequent pregnancy to reduce the risk of adverse maternal, perinatal, and infant health outcomes. However, the applicability of the WHO recommendations for women in the United States is unclear, as breast feeding, nutrition, maternal age at first birth, and total fertility rate differs substantially between the United States and the low- and middle-resource countries upon which most of the evidence is based.

Methods: To inform guideline development for birth spacing specific to women in the United States, the Office of Population Affairs (OPA) convened an expert work group meeting in Washington, DC, on 14-15 September 2017 among reproductive, perinatal, paediatric, social, and public health epidemiologists; obstetrician-gynaecologists; biostatisticians; and experts in evidence synthesis related to women's health.

Maternal Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Concentrations during Pregnancy and Infant Birthweight for Gestational Age: a Three-Cohort Study.

Background: In response to inconsistent findings, we investigated associations between maternal serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentrations and infant birthweight for gestational age (BW/GA), including potential effect modification by maternal race/ethnicity and infant sex.

Methods: Data from 2558 pregnant women were combined in a nested case-control study (preterm and term) sampled from three cohorts: the Omega study, the Pregnancy, Infection and Nutrition study, and the Pregnancy Outcomes and Community Health study. Maternal 25(OH)D concentrations were sampled at 4 to 29 weeks gestation (80% 14-26 weeks).

The Healthy African American Families (HAAF) project: from community-based participatory research to community-partnered participatory research.

During the past two decades, there has been an increased use of community-based participatory research in public health activities, especially as part of efforts to understand health disparities affecting communities of color. This article describes the history and lessons learned of a long-standing community participatory project, Healthy African American Families (HAAF), in Los Angeles, California. HAAF evolved from a partnership formed by a community advisory board, university, and federal health agency to an independent, incorporated community organization that facilitates and brokers research and health promotion activities within its community.

The joint effect of vaginal Ureaplasma urealyticum and bacterial vaginosis on adverse pregnancy outcomes.

Objective: To examine associations of vaginal Ureaplasma urealyticum (UU) and bacterial vaginosis (BV) with preterm delivery (PTD), small for gestational age (SGA), and low birth weight (LBW).

Material And Methods: A population-based, prospective cohort study of 2,927 pregnancies. After exclusion of multiples and antibiotic use sample size was 2,662.