Building a better model: abandon kitchen sink regression.

This paper critically examines 'kitchen sink regression', a practice characterised by the manual or automated selection of variables for a multivariable regression model based on p values or model-based information criteria. We highlight the pitfalls of this method, using examples from perinatal/neonatal medicine, and propose more robust alternatives. The concept of directed acyclic graphs (DAGs) is introduced as a tool for describing and analysing causal relationships.

Health Care Utilization in the First 7 Years in Children with Fetal Growth Abnormalities: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Objective: To investigate the relationship between birth weight for gestational age and health care utilization of term offspring from birth to 7 years.

Study Design: We used a population-based retrospective cohort study of infants (≥37 weeks' gestational age) born between 2003 and 2007 in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia (n = 42 050). Perinatal records were linked to provincial administrative health data from birth to age 7 years.

Association between second stage of labour length and risk of obstetrical anal sphincter injury in nulliparous women: a population-based retrospective cohort study.

Introduction And Hypothesis: Obstetrical anal sphincter injury (OASIS) is a common consequence of vaginal delivery in nulliparas and carries the risk of short- and long-term morbidity. The objective of this study was to estimate the association between the duration of the second stage of labour and OASIS risk.

Methods: A population-based, retrospective cohort of nulliparas delivering singleton, vertex, non-anomalous fetuses at term in Nova Scotia, Canada, from 2005 to 2019, were identified using the Nova Scotia Atlee Perinatal Database.

The Association Between Caesarean Section and Inflammatory Bowel Disease in Childhood and Young Adulthood: Findings From 2 Retrospective Cohort Studies.

Objective: The aim of the study was to examine the association of Caesarean section (CS) with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in Nova Scotian children.

Methods: The study consisted of 2 retrospective cohorts in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia: all births between 1988 and 2014 (n = 262,729) linked with a clinical registry of all children diagnosed with IBD at the IWK Health Centre, Halifax (Clinical Cohort) and all births from 1989 to 1993 (n = 42,999) linked with provincial administrative health data (Administrative Cohort). The primary outcome was a diagnosis of IBD; the outcome in the Administrative Cohort was ascertained using a previously validated algorithm.

Cesarean Delivery and Healthcare Utilization and Costs in the Offspring: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Objective: To examine the association between cesarean delivery and healthcare utilization and costs in offspring from birth until age 7 years.

Study Design: A retrospective cohort study of singleton term births in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia between 2003 and 2007 followed until age 7 years was conducted using data from the Nova Scotia Atlee Perinatal Database and administrative health data. The main exposure was mode of delivery (cesarean delivery vs vaginal birth); the outcome was healthcare utilization and costs during the first 7 years of life.

Maternal pre-pregnancy weight status and health care use for mental health conditions in the offspring.

The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between pre-pregnancy maternal weight status and offspring physician visits for mental health conditions in childhood and adolescence. We conducted a population-based retrospective cohort study of singleton infants born between the years of 1989 and 1993 using a linkage of the Nova Scotia Atlee Perinatal Database with administrative health data. Offspring were followed from birth to age 18 years.

Correction to: The association of venous thromboembolism with survival in pediatric cancer patients: a population-based cohort study.

The Figure 1 used in the originally published version of this article was incorrect.

The association of venous thromboembolism with survival in pediatric cancer patients: a population-based cohort study.

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a well-recognized complication in pediatric oncology patients. Studies in adult oncology patients have suggested a potential negative association between VTE and survival, but this association has not been examined in pediatric patients yet. The aim of this study was to assess the association of VTE with survival in pediatric oncology patients.