Socioeconomic and ethnic disparities in preterm births in an English maternity setting: a population-based study of 1.3 million births.
Kayode G., Howell A., Burden C., Margelyte R., Cheng V., Viner M., Sandall J., Carter J., Brigante L., Winter C., Carroll F., Thilaganathan B., Anumba D., Judge A., Lenguerrand E., Tommy’s National Centre for Maternity Improvement None.
BACKGROUND: Preterm birth is a major cause of infant mortality and morbidity and accounts for 7-8% of births in the UK. It is more common in women from socially deprived areas and from minority ethnic groups, but the reasons for this disparity are poorly understood. To inform interventions to improve child survival and their quality of life, this study examined the socioeconomic and ethnic inequalities in preterm births (