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ObjectiveThis study aims to compare preterm birth (PTB) risk and maternal factors associated with PTB among non-Hispanic White, Black, and mixed-race Black/White women in the United States.MethodsIn this study, we used U.S. birth certificate data from the 2017 National Vital Statistics System. We included live singleton births to women who self-identified as non-Hispanic White, Black, or mixed-race Black/White. PTB was defined as less than 37 weeks of gestation. We used logistic regression models to estimate the PTB odds ratios for Black and Black/White relative to White women, adjusted for maternal factors. We used logistic regression to estimate associations between PTB and maternal factors in race-stratified models.ResultsThe sample included a total of 2,297,076 births in 2017 to White (n = 1,792,257), Black (n = 476,969), and Black/White (n = 27,850) women. The prevalence of PTB varied for Black (11.2%), Black/White (8.2%), and White (6.8%) women. The odds of PTB compared with White differed for Black (odds ratio, 1.51; 95% confidence interval, 1.49-1.53) and Black/White (odds ratio, 1.13; 95% confidence interval, 1.08-1.18) women after adjusting for maternal factors. The odds of PTB associated with maternal sociodemographic, prepregnancy, and gestational factors differed by maternal race.ConclusionsEvaluation of PTB risk among White, Black, and Black/White women revealed distinct associations between PTB and maternal factors for Black/White women. This study highlights the need for research assessing the relationships between social risk factors such as colorism and racism and the outcome of PTB, and it provides evidence that may inform more targeted PTB prevention among Black/White and Black women.

The epidemiologic literature estimating the indirect or secondary effects of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on pregnant people and gestation continues to grow. Our assessment of this scholarship, however, leads us to suspect that the methods most commonly used may lead researchers to spurious inferences. This suspicion arises because the methods do not account for temporal patterning in perinatal outcomes when deriving counterfactuals, or estimates of the outcomes had the pandemic not occurred. We illustrate the problem in 2 ways. First, using monthly data from US birth certificates, we describe temporal patterning in 5 commonly used perinatal outcomes. Notably, for all but 1 outcome, temporal patterns appear more complex than much of the emerging literature assumes. Second, using data from France, we show that using counterfactuals that ignore this complexity produces spurious results. We recommend that subsequent investigations on COVID-19 and other perturbations use widely available time-series methods to derive counterfactuals that account for strong temporal patterning in perinatal outcomes.

Birth registration is the right of every citizen because a person is actually only recognized after his birth is registered but in reality many children have not been registered so do not have a birth certificate. Purpose of study, Reviewing and analyzing legal protection for children in obtaining a birth certificate base on The Principles of Children Protection and This study uses a normative approach, specifically the analytical descriptive approach. Main finding that Laws that exist on how birth certificates are obtained do not protect children due to one regulation with another existing regulation are discordant making the implementation to be inconsistentThis study is useful for children who live in the East, such as Papua because the coverage of birth certificate ownership is still low and is also useful for child proection law. Novelty of this study. How to obtain a birth certificate for Out-of-Marriage Children and children of unknown origin. &nbsp

Birth registration is the right of every citizen because a person is actually only recognized after his birth is registered but in reality many children have not been registered so do not have a birth certificate. Purpose of study, Reviewing and analyzing legal protection for children in obtaining a birth certificate base on The Principles of Children Protection and This study uses a normative approach, specifically the analytical descriptive approach. Main finding that Laws that exist on how birth certificates are obtained do not protect children due to one regulation with another existing regulation are discordant making the implementation to be inconsistentThis study is useful for children who live in the East, such as Papua because the coverage of birth certificate ownership is still low and is also useful for child proection law. Novelty of this study. How to obtain a birth certificate for Out-of-Marriage Children and children of unknown origin. &nbsp

Birth registration is the right of every citizen because a person is actually only recognized after his birth is registered but in reality many children have not been registered so do not have a birth certificate. Purpose of study, Reviewing and analyzing legal protection for children in obtaining a birth certificate base on The Principles of Children Protection and This study uses a normative approach, specifically the analytical descriptive approach. Main finding that Laws that exist on how birth certificates are obtained do not protect children due to one regulation with another existing regulation are discordant making the implementation to be inconsistentThis study is useful for children who live in the East, such as Papua because the coverage of birth certificate ownership is still low and is also useful for child proection law. Novelty of this study. How to obtain a birth certificate for Out-of-Marriage Children and children of unknown origin. &nbsp

Birth registration is the right of every citizen because a person is actually only recognized after his birth is registered but in reality many children have not been registered so do not have a birth certificate. Purpose of study, Reviewing and analyzing legal protection for children in obtaining a birth certificate base on The Principles of Children Protection and This study uses a normative approach, specifically the analytical descriptive approach. Main finding that Laws that exist on how birth certificates are obtained do not protect children due to one regulation with another existing regulation are discordant making the implementation to be inconsistentThis study is useful for children who live in the East, such as Papua because the coverage of birth certificate ownership is still low and is also useful for child proection law. Novelty of this study. How to obtain a birth certificate for Out-of-Marriage Children and children of unknown origin. &nbsp

Birth registration is the right of every citizen because a person is actually only recognized after his birth is registered but in reality many children have not been registered so do not have a birth certificate. Purpose of study, Reviewing and analyzing legal protection for children in obtaining a birth certificate base on The Principles of Children Protection and This study uses a normative approach, specifically the analytical descriptive approach. Main finding that Laws that exist on how birth certificates are obtained do not protect children due to one regulation with another existing regulation are discordant making the implementation to be inconsistentThis study is useful for children who live in the East, such as Papua because the coverage of birth certificate ownership is still low and is also useful for child proection law. Novelty of this study. How to obtain a birth certificate for Out-of-Marriage Children and children of unknown origin. &nbsp

Birth registration is the right of every citizen because a person is actually only recognized after his birth is registered but in reality many children have not been registered so do not have a birth certificate. Purpose of study, Reviewing and analyzing legal protection for children in obtaining a birth certificate base on The Principles of Children Protection and This study uses a normative approach, specifically the analytical descriptive approach. Main finding that Laws that exist on how birth certificates are obtained do not protect children due to one regulation with another existing regulation are discordant making the implementation to be inconsistentThis study is useful for children who live in the East, such as Papua because the coverage of birth certificate ownership is still low and is also useful for child proection law. Novelty of this study. How to obtain a birth certificate for Out-of-Marriage Children and children of unknown origin. &nbsp

Birth registration is the right of every citizen because a person is actually only recognized after his birth is registered but in reality many children have not been registered so do not have a birth certificate. Purpose of study, Reviewing and analyzing legal protection for children in obtaining a birth certificate base on The Principles of Children Protection and This study uses a normative approach, specifically the analytical descriptive approach. Main finding that Laws that exist on how birth certificates are obtained do not protect children due to one regulation with another existing regulation are discordant making the implementation to be inconsistentThis study is useful for children who live in the East, such as Papua because the coverage of birth certificate ownership is still low and is also useful for child proection law. Novelty of this study. How to obtain a birth certificate for Out-of-Marriage Children and children of unknown origin. &nbsp

Background: Incidence rates of thyroid cancer in children and young adults (age 0-19 years) have nearly doubled over a recent 15-year period in the United States. Children with thyroid cancer may require long-term therapy and surveillance and are at greater risk for second primary malignancies. High-dose exposure to ionizing radiation is the only known nongenetic risk factor; the vast majority of cases have an unknown etiology. Methods: We conducted a population-based nested case-control study to evaluate the relationship between a range of birth characteristics and the risk of pediatric thyroid cancer. Using linked birth records and cancer registry data from California, we included 1012 cases who were diagnosed with first primary thyroid cancer at the age of 0-19 years from 1988 to 2015 and 50,600 birth-year matched controls (1:50 case to control ratio). We estimated adjusted odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) by using multivariable logistic regression models applied to the full population and stratified by thyroid cancer subtypes (papillary and follicular), race/ethnicity (white and Hispanic), and age at diagnosis (0-14 and 15-19 years). Results: Hispanic ethnicity (OR: 1.20 [CI 1.01-1.42]), higher birth weight (OR: 1.11 [CI 1.04-1.18] per 500g), and higher maternal education (13-15 years OR: 1.35 [CI 1.09-1.68], 16+ years OR: 1.35 [CI 1.07-1.71]) were associated with an increased risk of pediatric thyroid cancer, while male sex (OR: 0.21 [CI 0.18-0.25]) and higher birth order (third or higher OR: 0.81 [CI 0.68-0.98]) were associated with a decreased risk. Some heterogeneity was observed across subtype, most notably an elevated OR with higher birth order for follicular thyroid cancer, in contrast to the reduced risk for this category among papillary thyroid cancer cases (p-value for interaction = 0.01). Hispanic ethnicity was a risk factor for papillary, but not follicular thyroid cancer (p-value for interaction = 0.07). Conclusions: In this popula

BackgroundResearch suggests that children's health and well-being are supported by core adaptive systems, including the autonomic nervous system (ANS). Despite evidence for the importance of adulthood ANS regulation in the development of disease, few studies have examined how early development may influence emerging ANS function. Therefore, we examined how infant adiposity gain during early infancy related to ANS regulation at 6 months.MethodsInfant weight and length were abstracted from birth records and measured during the 6-month assessment in a low-income, racially/ethnically diverse sample (N = 60). WHO-standardized weight-for-length-gain change was calculated across the first 6 months of life. ANS reactivity was measured as the combined sympathetic (i.e., pre-ejection period) and parasympathetic (i.e., respiratory sinus arrhythmia) nervous system responses during the developmentally challenging Still Face Paradigm (SFP). ANS "classic reactivity" response was characterized by paired sympathetic activation and parasympathetic withdrawal.ResultsLower weight-for-length gain in the first 6 months predicted classic reactivity during still face. However, greater weight-for-length gain predicted "classic reactivity" during the reunion, when infants were expected to recover, suggesting autonomic dysregulation.ConclusionsThese findings suggest an association between early life adiposity gain and the development of infant ANS regulation.ImpactAdiposity gain during early infancy was associated with autonomic nervous system regulation at 6 months. This study identifies early adiposity gain (greater than average infant weight-for-length gain) as a risk for ANS dysregulation. This research focuses on a critical developmental period of ANS plasticity. If confirmed, findings can be used to inform early intervention programs targeting obesity prevention and to promote self-regulation.

BackgroundUsing ICD-9 codes underestimates the prevalence of obesity in adults; however, the validity of these codes in studies of pregnancy-related outcomes is not known.ObjectivesTo compare classification of maternal obesity based on ICD-9 codes in hospital discharge records versus data from birth certificates in the same women, examine predictors of agreement, and assess how associations between obesity and two birth outcomes differ by source of weight data.MethodsThis population-based study included 2 329 145 California births between 2007 and 2012. We compared data on obesity from childbirth hospital discharge records (ICD-9 codes for obesity) and birth certificates (pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) calculated from weight and height) and identified predictors of agreement between the two sources. Logistic regression models assessed whether the two definitions of obesity resulted in different estimates of the associations of obesity with caesarean birth and large-for-gestational age.ResultsOverall, 464 754 women (20.0%) had obesity based on their pre-pregnancy BMI while only 100 002 (4.3%) had an obesity-related ICD-9 code. The sensitivity of ICD-9-based obesity was low at 16.2%; however, obesity codes were highly specific at 98.7%, with a negative predictive value of 82.5% and a positive predictive value of 75.2%. Among women with obesity identified by the birth certificate, those with pre-pregnancy and pregnancy-related complications (eg diabetes and hypertension) were more likely to have an obesity-related diagnosis in their delivery hospital discharge record. Using ICD-9 codes overestimated the association of obesity with caesarean birth and newborn large-for-gestational age.ConclusionsICD-9 codes in childbirth discharge records captured only one in five women with pre-pregnancy obesity. Sensitivity varied by maternal characteristics and conditions. This misclassification resulted in bias when examining the association of obesity and p

This thesis highlights two significant flaws in birth certification and legal parentage regimes in Aotearoa New Zealand that negatively impact children conceived and raised in an array of diverse family structures. First, birth certificates currently reflect a child’s legal parentage, excluding any reference to a child’s genetic or gestational origins. This thesis draws on social constructionist conceptions of the self and narrative identity theory, alongside Māori understandings of aspects of whakapapa, to demonstrate that birth certificates should incorporate more information about a child’s origins, and that a failure to do so can have negative consequences for a child’s identity development. To rectify these informational deficits, this thesis argues for the reform of birth certification in Aotearoa New Zealand. It demonstrates the nature and potential of these reforms through the creation of a prototype birth certificate for all children that incorporates their genetic, gestational, and legal parentage. Second, this thesis claims that the current model of legal parentage, which permits a child to have a maximum of two legally recognised parents at any given time, does not reflect the lives of children who are intentionally brought into the world and raised by more than two individuals. Rather, it embodies historic understandings of legal parentage that privilege traditional heterosexual western forms of reproduction, and fails to account for the realities of assisted human reproduction and modern-day family formation. Expanding the operation of legal parentage to incorporate all of a child’s parental figures (and including them on the child’s birth certificate from the outset) would provide greater legal protection for children born into multi-parent families, in line with that currently enjoyed by children with one or two legal parents. Therefore, this thesis develops an intentional model of legal parentage accommodating more than two legal parents where a chi

This thesis highlights two significant flaws in birth certification and legal parentage regimes in Aotearoa New Zealand that negatively impact children conceived and raised in an array of diverse family structures. First, birth certificates currently reflect a child’s legal parentage, excluding any reference to a child’s genetic or gestational origins. This thesis draws on social constructionist conceptions of the self and narrative identity theory, alongside Māori understandings of aspects of whakapapa, to demonstrate that birth certificates should incorporate more information about a child’s origins, and that a failure to do so can have negative consequences for a child’s identity development. To rectify these informational deficits, this thesis argues for the reform of birth certification in Aotearoa New Zealand. It demonstrates the nature and potential of these reforms through the creation of a prototype birth certificate for all children that incorporates their genetic, gestational, and legal parentage. Second, this thesis claims that the current model of legal parentage, which permits a child to have a maximum of two legally recognised parents at any given time, does not reflect the lives of children who are intentionally brought into the world and raised by more than two individuals. Rather, it embodies historic understandings of legal parentage that privilege traditional heterosexual western forms of reproduction, and fails to account for the realities of assisted human reproduction and modern-day family formation. Expanding the operation of legal parentage to incorporate all of a child’s parental figures (and including them on the child’s birth certificate from the outset) would provide greater legal protection for children born into multi-parent families, in line with that currently enjoyed by children with one or two legal parents. Therefore, this thesis develops an intentional model of legal parentage accommodating more than two legal parents where a chi

This thesis highlights two significant flaws in birth certification and legal parentage regimes in Aotearoa New Zealand that negatively impact children conceived and raised in an array of diverse family structures. First, birth certificates currently reflect a child’s legal parentage, excluding any reference to a child’s genetic or gestational origins. This thesis draws on social constructionist conceptions of the self and narrative identity theory, alongside Māori understandings of aspects of whakapapa, to demonstrate that birth certificates should incorporate more information about a child’s origins, and that a failure to do so can have negative consequences for a child’s identity development. To rectify these informational deficits, this thesis argues for the reform of birth certification in Aotearoa New Zealand. It demonstrates the nature and potential of these reforms through the creation of a prototype birth certificate for all children that incorporates their genetic, gestational, and legal parentage. Second, this thesis claims that the current model of legal parentage, which permits a child to have a maximum of two legally recognised parents at any given time, does not reflect the lives of children who are intentionally brought into the world and raised by more than two individuals. Rather, it embodies historic understandings of legal parentage that privilege traditional heterosexual western forms of reproduction, and fails to account for the realities of assisted human reproduction and modern-day family formation. Expanding the operation of legal parentage to incorporate all of a child’s parental figures (and including them on the child’s birth certificate from the outset) would provide greater legal protection for children born into multi-parent families, in line with that currently enjoyed by children with one or two legal parents. Therefore, this thesis develops an intentional model of legal parentage accommodating more than two legal parents where a chi

This thesis highlights two significant flaws in birth certification and legal parentage regimes in Aotearoa New Zealand that negatively impact children conceived and raised in an array of diverse family structures. First, birth certificates currently reflect a child’s legal parentage, excluding any reference to a child’s genetic or gestational origins. This thesis draws on social constructionist conceptions of the self and narrative identity theory, alongside Māori understandings of aspects of whakapapa, to demonstrate that birth certificates should incorporate more information about a child’s origins, and that a failure to do so can have negative consequences for a child’s identity development. To rectify these informational deficits, this thesis argues for the reform of birth certification in Aotearoa New Zealand. It demonstrates the nature and potential of these reforms through the creation of a prototype birth certificate for all children that incorporates their genetic, gestational, and legal parentage. Second, this thesis claims that the current model of legal parentage, which permits a child to have a maximum of two legally recognised parents at any given time, does not reflect the lives of children who are intentionally brought into the world and raised by more than two individuals. Rather, it embodies historic understandings of legal parentage that privilege traditional heterosexual western forms of reproduction, and fails to account for the realities of assisted human reproduction and modern-day family formation. Expanding the operation of legal parentage to incorporate all of a child’s parental figures (and including them on the child’s birth certificate from the outset) would provide greater legal protection for children born into multi-parent families, in line with that currently enjoyed by children with one or two legal parents. Therefore, this thesis develops an intentional model of legal parentage accommodating more than two legal parents where a chi

This thesis highlights two significant flaws in birth certification and legal parentage regimes in Aotearoa New Zealand that negatively impact children conceived and raised in an array of diverse family structures. First, birth certificates currently reflect a child’s legal parentage, excluding any reference to a child’s genetic or gestational origins. This thesis draws on social constructionist conceptions of the self and narrative identity theory, alongside Māori understandings of aspects of whakapapa, to demonstrate that birth certificates should incorporate more information about a child’s origins, and that a failure to do so can have negative consequences for a child’s identity development. To rectify these informational deficits, this thesis argues for the reform of birth certification in Aotearoa New Zealand. It demonstrates the nature and potential of these reforms through the creation of a prototype birth certificate for all children that incorporates their genetic, gestational, and legal parentage. Second, this thesis claims that the current model of legal parentage, which permits a child to have a maximum of two legally recognised parents at any given time, does not reflect the lives of children who are intentionally brought into the world and raised by more than two individuals. Rather, it embodies historic understandings of legal parentage that privilege traditional heterosexual western forms of reproduction, and fails to account for the realities of assisted human reproduction and modern-day family formation. Expanding the operation of legal parentage to incorporate all of a child’s parental figures (and including them on the child’s birth certificate from the outset) would provide greater legal protection for children born into multi-parent families, in line with that currently enjoyed by children with one or two legal parents. Therefore, this thesis develops an intentional model of legal parentage accommodating more than two legal parents where a chi

This thesis highlights two significant flaws in birth certification and legal parentage regimes in Aotearoa New Zealand that negatively impact children conceived and raised in an array of diverse family structures. First, birth certificates currently reflect a child’s legal parentage, excluding any reference to a child’s genetic or gestational origins. This thesis draws on social constructionist conceptions of the self and narrative identity theory, alongside Māori understandings of aspects of whakapapa, to demonstrate that birth certificates should incorporate more information about a child’s origins, and that a failure to do so can have negative consequences for a child’s identity development. To rectify these informational deficits, this thesis argues for the reform of birth certification in Aotearoa New Zealand. It demonstrates the nature and potential of these reforms through the creation of a prototype birth certificate for all children that incorporates their genetic, gestational, and legal parentage. Second, this thesis claims that the current model of legal parentage, which permits a child to have a maximum of two legally recognised parents at any given time, does not reflect the lives of children who are intentionally brought into the world and raised by more than two individuals. Rather, it embodies historic understandings of legal parentage that privilege traditional heterosexual western forms of reproduction, and fails to account for the realities of assisted human reproduction and modern-day family formation. Expanding the operation of legal parentage to incorporate all of a child’s parental figures (and including them on the child’s birth certificate from the outset) would provide greater legal protection for children born into multi-parent families, in line with that currently enjoyed by children with one or two legal parents. Therefore, this thesis develops an intentional model of legal parentage accommodating more than two legal parents where a chi

Coal and oil power plant retirements reduce air pollution nearby, but few studies have leveraged these natural experiments for public health research. We used California Department of Public Health birth records and US Energy Information Administration data from 2001-2011 to evaluate the relationship between the retirements of 8 coal and oil power plants and nearby preterm (gestational age of <37 weeks) birth. We conducted a difference-in-differences analysis using adjusted linear mixed models that included 57,005 births-6.3% of which were preterm-to compare the probability of preterm birth before and after power plant retirement among mothers residing within 0-5 km and 5-10 km of the 8 power plants. We found that power plant retirements were associated with a decrease in the proportion of preterm birth within 5 km (-0.019, 95% CI: -0.031, -0.008) and 5-10 km (-0.015, 95% CI: -0.024, -0.007), controlling for secular trends with mothers living 10-20 km away. For the 0-5-km area, this corresponds to a reduction in preterm birth from 7.0% to 5.1%. Subgroup analyses indicated a potentially larger association among non-Hispanic black and Asian mothers than among non-Hispanic white and Hispanic mothers and no differences in educational attainment. Future coal and oil power plant retirements may reduce preterm birth among nearby populations.

Newman questions recent claims about a plateau in mortality rates for Italians beyond age 105 on the basis of a hypothetical model. His model implies implausibly high error rates for extreme ages. For individuals over 110, for whom birth certificates have been collected, the form in which Italian births were registered precludes the kinds of clerical errors in year of birth that Newman assumes.

Newman questions recent claims about a plateau in mortality rates for Italians beyond age 105 on the basis of a hypothetical model. His model implies implausibly high error rates for extreme ages. For individuals over 110, for whom birth certificates have been collected, the form in which Italian births were registered precludes the kinds of clerical errors in year of birth that Newman assumes.

Coal and oil power plant retirements reduce air pollution nearby, but few studies have leveraged these natural experiments for public health research. We used California Department of Public Health birth records and US Energy Information Administration data from 2001-2011 to evaluate the relationship between the retirements of 8 coal and oil power plants and nearby preterm (gestational age of <37 weeks) birth. We conducted a difference-in-differences analysis using adjusted linear mixed models that included 57,005 births-6.3% of which were preterm-to compare the probability of preterm birth before and after power plant retirement among mothers residing within 0-5 km and 5-10 km of the 8 power plants. We found that power plant retirements were associated with a decrease in the proportion of preterm birth within 5 km (-0.019, 95% CI: -0.031, -0.008) and 5-10 km (-0.015, 95% CI: -0.024, -0.007), controlling for secular trends with mothers living 10-20 km away. For the 0-5-km area, this corresponds to a reduction in preterm birth from 7.0% to 5.1%. Subgroup analyses indicated a potentially larger association among non-Hispanic black and Asian mothers than among non-Hispanic white and Hispanic mothers and no differences in educational attainment. Future coal and oil power plant retirements may reduce preterm birth among nearby populations.

Linking birth records and cancer registry data from California, we conducted a population-based study with 23,419 cases and 87,593 matched controls born during 1978-2009 to investigate the relationship of parental age to risk of pediatric cancer. Compared with children born to mothers aged 20-24 years, those born to mothers in older age groups had a 13%-36% higher risk of pediatric cancer; the odds ratio for each 5-year increase in maternal age was 1.06 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.04, 1.09). For cancer diagnosed in children in age groups 0-14 years and 15-19 years, the odds ratios for each 5-year increase in maternal age were 1.05 (95% CI: 1.02, 1.07) and 1.14 (95% CI: 1.09, 1.19), respectively. Having an older father also conferred an increased risk, with an odds ratio for each 5-year increase of 1.03 (95% CI: 1.02, 1.05) for cancer diagnosed at ages 0-19 years and 1.03 (95% CI: 1.02, 1.05) for cancer diagnosed at ages 0-14 years. While advancing maternal age increased risk of leukemia and central nervous system tumors, older paternal age was not associated with risk of either type. Both maternal and paternal older ages were associated with risk of lymphoma. In this large, population-based record-linkage study, advancing parental age, especially advancing maternal age, was associated with higher pediatric cancer risk, with variations across types of cancer.

BackgroundA small number of studies have used a natural experiment approach to examine the health impacts of increased economic resources stemming from Native American-owned casinos. We build on this work by examining whether casinos are associated with obesity-related health in utero.MethodsWe examined whether casino openings or expansion (as proxy for increased economic resources) are associated with a decreased likelihood of infants being born large-for-gestational-age (LGA), an important risk factor for childhood overweight/obesity. We used repeated cross-sectional data from California birth records (1987-2011) to assess the prevalence of LGA births among Native Americans (n = 21 011). Using zip code fixed-effect regression models, we compared how prevalence of LGA births changed in association with casino openings or expansions, while controlling for secular trends through the inclusion of a comparison group of Native American newborns in zip codes that were eligible to open or expand casinos, but did not do so. In sensitivity analyses, we evaluated whether there was any change in small-for-gestational-age births (SGA).ResultsAverage prevalence of LGA births over the period was 11%. Every one slot machine per capita increase was associated with a 0.13 percentage point decrease (95% confidence interval: -0.25, -0.01) in the prevalence of LGA births but was not associated with SGA prevalence.ConclusionsCasino expansion in California is associated with a lower prevalence of LGA births. Interpreted in combination with previous work showing that California casino expansions were associated with a lower body mass index (BMI) among schoolchildren, these results suggest that casinos are associated with improvement in a surrogate marker of excess adiposity. Further studies are needed to elucidate the mechanisms by which casinos might be associated with obesity-related health outcomes among Native Americans.

BackgroundThe incidence of both gestational diabetes mellitus and preeclampsia is on the rise; however, these pregnancy complications may not be systematically reported. This study aimed to examine differences in reporting of preeclampsia and gestational diabetes between hospital records and birth certificate data, and to determine if such differences vary by maternal socioeconomic status indicators.MethodsWe obtained over 70,000 birth records from 2001 to 2006 from the perinatal research database of the Memorial Care system, a network of four hospitals in Los Angeles and Orange Counties, California. Memorial birth records were matched to corresponding state birth certificate records and analyzed to determine differential rates of reporting of preeclampsia and diabetes. Additionally, the influence of maternal socioeconomic factors on the reported incidence of such adverse pregnancy outcomes was analyzed. Socioeconomic factors of interest included maternal education levels, race, and type of health insurance (private or public).ResultsIt was found that the birth certificate data significantly underreported the incidence of both preeclampsia (1.38% vs. 3.13%) and diabetes (1.97% vs. 5.56%) when compared to Memorial data. For both outcomes of interest, the degree of underreporting was significantly higher among women with lower education levels, among Hispanic women compared to Non-Hispanic White women, and among women with public health insurance.ConclusionThe Memorial Care database is a more reliable source of information than birth certificate data for analyzing the incidence of preeclampsia and diabetes among women in Los Angeles and Orange Counties, especially for subpopulations of lower socioeconomic status.

A growing number of states have been giving adult adoptees more — and in some cases, unrestricted — access to those records. The shift reflects a move toward more openness in the adoption process itself, as well as the growing influence of adoptee rights groups, which have grown in number and become more vocal, putting pressure on legislators to act. Today about half of all states allow adult adoptees some form of access to their original birth certificate outside of going to court. In at least nine states — Alabama, Alaska, Colorado, Hawaii, Kansas, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island (for those 25 and older) and Oregon — adult adoptees have unfettered access to those records,. This publication discusses the laws in all states that provide for access to both nonidentifying and identifying information from an adoption record by adoptive parents and adult adopted persons. Generally, the person whose information will be disclosed must consent to the disclosure, and methods of providing consent are discussed. Access to the original birth certificate by the adult adopted person also is addressed. Summaries of laws for all States and U.S. territories are included.

ObjectiveTo determine whether neonatal phototherapy is associated with cancer in the first year after birth.MethodsWe analyzed a data set from the California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development that was created by linking birth certificates, death certificates, and hospital discharge abstracts up to age 1 year. Subjects were 5 144 849 infants born in California hospitals at ≥35 weeks' gestation from 1998 to 2007. We used International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision codes to identify phototherapy at <15 days and discharge diagnoses of cancer at 61 to 365 days. We adjusted for potential confounding variables by using traditional and propensity-adjusted logistic regression models.ResultsCancer was diagnosed in 58/178 017 infants with diagnosis codes for phototherapy and 1042/4 966 832 infants without such codes (32.6/100 000 vs 21.0/100 000; relative risk 1.6; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.2-2.0, P = .002). In propensity-adjusted analyses, associations were seen between phototherapy and overall cancer (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.4; 95% CI, 1.1-1.9), myeloid leukemia (aOR 2.6; 95% CI, 1.3-5.0), and kidney cancer (aOR 2.5; 95% CI, 1.2-5.1). The marginal propensity-adjusted absolute risk increase for cancer after phototherapy in the total population was 9.4/100 000 (number needed to harm of 10 638). Because of the higher baseline risk of cancer in infants with Down syndrome, the number needed to harm was 1285.ConclusionsPhototherapy may slightly increase the risk of cancer in infancy, although the absolute risk increase is small. This risk should be considered when making phototherapy treatment decisions, especially for infants with bilirubin levels below current treatment guidelines.

BackgroundThe incidence of both gestational diabetes mellitus and preeclampsia is on the rise; however, these pregnancy complications may not be systematically reported. This study aimed to examine differences in reporting of preeclampsia and gestational diabetes between hospital records and birth certificate data, and to determine if such differences vary by maternal socioeconomic status indicators.MethodsWe obtained over 70,000 birth records from 2001 to 2006 from the perinatal research database of the Memorial Care system, a network of four hospitals in Los Angeles and Orange Counties, California. Memorial birth records were matched to corresponding state birth certificate records and analyzed to determine differential rates of reporting of preeclampsia and diabetes. Additionally, the influence of maternal socioeconomic factors on the reported incidence of such adverse pregnancy outcomes was analyzed. Socioeconomic factors of interest included maternal education levels, race, and type of health insurance (private or public).ResultsIt was found that the birth certificate data significantly underreported the incidence of both preeclampsia (1.38% vs. 3.13%) and diabetes (1.97% vs. 5.56%) when compared to Memorial data. For both outcomes of interest, the degree of underreporting was significantly higher among women with lower education levels, among Hispanic women compared to Non-Hispanic White women, and among women with public health insurance.ConclusionThe Memorial Care database is a more reliable source of information than birth certificate data for analyzing the incidence of preeclampsia and diabetes among women in Los Angeles and Orange Counties, especially for subpopulations of lower socioeconomic status.

A growing number of states have been giving adult adoptees more — and in some cases, unrestricted — access to those records. The shift reflects a move toward more openness in the adoption process itself, as well as the growing influence of adoptee rights groups, which have grown in number and become more vocal, putting pressure on legislators to act. Today about half of all states allow adult adoptees some form of access to their original birth certificate outside of going to court. In at least nine states — Alabama, Alaska, Colorado, Hawaii, Kansas, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island (for those 25 and older) and Oregon — adult adoptees have unfettered access to those records,. This publication discusses the laws in all states that provide for access to both nonidentifying and identifying information from an adoption record by adoptive parents and adult adopted persons. Generally, the person whose information will be disclosed must consent to the disclosure, and methods of providing consent are discussed. Access to the original birth certificate by the adult adopted person also is addressed. Summaries of laws for all States and U.S. territories are included.

BACKGROUND: Variation in birth registration criteria may compromise international comparisons of fetal and infant mortality. We examined the effect of birth registration practices on fetal and infant mortality rates to determine whether observed differences in perinatal and infant mortality rates were artifacts of birth registration or reflected true differences in health status.METHODS: A retrospective population-based cohort study was done using data from Canada, United States, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden from 1995-2005. Main outcome measures included live births by gestational age and birth weight; gestational age-and birth weight-specific stillbirth rates; neonatal, post-neonatal, and cause-specific infant mortality.RESULTS: Proportion of live births <22 weeks varied substantially: Sweden (not reported), Iceland (0.00%), Finland (0.001%), Denmark (0.01%), Norway (0.02%), Canada (0.07%) and United States (0.08%). At 22-23 weeks, neonatal mortality rates were highest in Canada (892.2 per 1000 live births), Denmark (879.3) and Iceland (1000.0), moderately high in the United States (724.1), Finland (794.3) and Norway (739.0) and low in Sweden (561.2). Stillbirth:live birth ratios at 22-23 weeks were significantly lower in the United States (79.2 stillbirths per 100 live births) and Finland (90.8) than in Canada (112.1), Iceland (176.2) and Norway (173.9). Crude neonatal mortality rates were 83% higher in Canada and 96% higher in the United States than Finland. Neonatal mortality rates among live births ≥ 28 weeks were lower in Canada and United States compared with Finland. Post-neonatal mortality rates were higher in Canada and United States than in Nordic countries.CONCLUSIONS: Live birth frequencies and stillbirth and neonatal mortality patterns at the borderline of viability are likely due to differences in birth registration practices, although true differences in maternal, fetal and infant health cannot be ruled out

Section 28 of the Births, Deaths, Marriages, and Relationships Registration Act 1995 allows people to apply to the Family Court to change the sex marker on their birth certificate. This essay argues that this provision is out-dated and does not serve the needs of the trans community. It is based on the medical model of sex, and requires medical evidence that the applicant’s body conforms sufficiently to that of the “nominated sex”. This essay suggests a reform based on the self-identification model, which exists in Argentina for birth certificates, and in New Zealand for passports and drivers’ licences. Such a reform of s 28 would bring birth certificates in line with these other documents, leading to more consistency and increased respect for the human rights of trans people.

Section 28 of the Births, Deaths, Marriages, and Relationships Registration Act 1995 allows people to apply to the Family Court to change the sex marker on their birth certificate. This essay argues that this provision is out-dated and does not serve the needs of the trans community. It is based on the medical model of sex, and requires medical evidence that the applicant’s body conforms sufficiently to that of the “nominated sex”. This essay suggests a reform based on the self-identification model, which exists in Argentina for birth certificates, and in New Zealand for passports and drivers’ licences. Such a reform of s 28 would bring birth certificates in line with these other documents, leading to more consistency and increased respect for the human rights of trans people.

BackgroundGenetic and environmental factors are believed to contribute to the development of autism, but relatively few studies have considered potential environmental risks. Here, we examine risks for autism in children related to in utero exposure to monitored ambient air toxics from urban emissions.MethodsAmong the cohort of children born in Los Angeles County, California, 1995-2006, those whose mothers resided during pregnancy in a 5-km buffer around air toxics monitoring stations were included (n = 148,722). To identify autism cases in this cohort, birth records were linked to records of children diagnosed with primary autistic disorder at the California Department of Developmental Services between 1998 and 2009 (n = 768). We calculated monthly average exposures during pregnancy for 24 air toxics selected based on suspected or known neurotoxicity or neurodevelopmental toxicity. Factor analysis helped us identify the correlational structure among air toxics, and we estimated odds ratios (ORs) for autism from logistic regression analyses.ResultsAutism risks were increased per interquartile range increase in average concentrations during pregnancy of several correlated toxics mostly loading on 1 factor, including 1,3-butadiene (OR = 1.59 [95% confidence interval = 1.18-2.15]), meta/para-xylene (1.51 [1.26-1.82]), other aromatic solvents, lead (1.49 [1.23-1.81]), perchloroethylene (1.40 [1.09-1.80]), and formaldehyde (1.34 [1.17-1.52]), adjusting for maternal age, race/ethnicity, nativity, education, insurance type, parity, child sex, and birth year.ConclusionsRisks for autism in children may increase following in utero exposure to ambient air toxics from urban traffic and industry emissions, as measured by community-based air-monitoring stations.

The Nordic medical birth registers have long been used for valuable clinical research. Their collection of data for more than four decades offers unusual possibilities for research across generations. At the same time, serum and blotting paper blood samples have been stored from most neonates. Two large cohorts (approximately 100 000 births) in Denmark and Norway have been described by questionnaires, interviews and collection of biological samples (blood, urine and milk teeth), as well as a systematic prospective follow-up of the offspring. National patient registers provide information on preceding, underlying and present health problems of the parents and their offspring. Researchers may, with permission from the national authorities, obtain access to individualized or anonymized data from the registers and tissue-banks. These data allow for multivariate analyses but their usefulness depends on knowledge of the specific registers and biological sample banks and on proper validation of the registers.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate associations between mode of delivery and subsequent reproductive outcomes.DESIGN: Cohort study.POPULATION: Women with term singleton live births from 1987 to 2009.SETTING: Denmark, birth registration data.METHODS: Women with a first singleton delivery after 37 weeks were followed until the end of 2010, from a first birth to include subsequent live births. We used Cox's proportional hazards model stratified by parity to compare the likelihood for subsequent delivery according to mode of delivery at first and later births, estimating maternal age effects and lag time to next delivery.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Likelihood of a subsequent live-born child by previous delivery mode.RESULTS: We identified 642,052 women with a first delivery. Compared with women with a non-instrumental vaginal delivery, delivering a child by elective cesarean section implied a 23% (95% CI 0.76-0.787) decreased likelihood for subsequent delivery. Emergency cesarean section meant 16% fewer (95% CI 0.84-0.85), and vaginal instrumental delivery 4% fewer subsequent deliveries (95% CI 0.95-0.96). Hazard ratios were largely unchanged after controlling for parity and year of birth. Small age-trends were seen, with hazard ratios affected by maternal age at birth. Delivery mode at first birth affected marginally the time lag until next birth.CONCLUSIONS: Fecundity, measured as likelihood of a successive live-born child, varied with mode of delivery at the first and also subsequent births. A first or later delivery by cesarean section implied decreased likelihood of subsequent delivery compared with women with a first vaginal birth.

The Nordic medical birth registers have long been used for valuable clinical research. Their collection of data for more than four decades offers unusual possibilities for research across generations. At the same time, serum and blotting paper blood samples have been stored from most neonates. Two large cohorts (approximately 100 000 births) in Denmark and Norway have been described by questionnaires, interviews and collection of biological samples (blood, urine and milk teeth), as well as a systematic prospective follow-up of the offspring. National patient registers provide information on preceding, underlying and present health problems of the parents and their offspring. Researchers may, with permission from the national authorities, obtain access to individualized or anonymized data from the registers and tissue-banks. These data allow for multivariate analyses but their usefulness depends on knowledge of the specific registers and biological sample banks and on proper validation of the registers.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate associations between mode of delivery and subsequent reproductive outcomes.DESIGN: Cohort study.POPULATION: Women with term singleton live births from 1987 to 2009.SETTING: Denmark, birth registration data.METHODS: Women with a first singleton delivery after 37 weeks were followed until the end of 2010, from a first birth to include subsequent live births. We used Cox's proportional hazards model stratified by parity to compare the likelihood for subsequent delivery according to mode of delivery at first and later births, estimating maternal age effects and lag time to next delivery.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Likelihood of a subsequent live-born child by previous delivery mode.RESULTS: We identified 642,052 women with a first delivery. Compared with women with a non-instrumental vaginal delivery, delivering a child by elective cesarean section implied a 23% (95% CI 0.76-0.787) decreased likelihood for subsequent delivery. Emergency cesarean section meant 16% fewer (95% CI 0.84-0.85), and vaginal instrumental delivery 4% fewer subsequent deliveries (95% CI 0.95-0.96). Hazard ratios were largely unchanged after controlling for parity and year of birth. Small age-trends were seen, with hazard ratios affected by maternal age at birth. Delivery mode at first birth affected marginally the time lag until next birth.CONCLUSIONS: Fecundity, measured as likelihood of a successive live-born child, varied with mode of delivery at the first and also subsequent births. A first or later delivery by cesarean section implied decreased likelihood of subsequent delivery compared with women with a first vaginal birth.

ObjectiveTo estimate the association between vaginal birth after cesarean delivery (VBAC) rates and primary cesarean delivery rates in California hospitals.MethodsHospital VBAC rates were calculated using birth certificate and discharge data from 2009, and hospitals were categorized by quartile of VBAC rate. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to estimate the odds of cesarean delivery among low-risk nulliparous women with singleton pregnancies at term in vertex presentation (nulliparous term singleton vertex) by hospital VBAC quartile while controlling for many patient-level and hospital-level confounders.ResultsThere were 468,789 term singleton births in California in 2009 at 255 hospitals, 125,471 of which were low-risk nulliparous term singleton vertex. Vaginal birth after cesarean delivery rates varied between hospitals, with a range of 0-44.6%. Rates of cesarean delivery among low-risk nulliparous term singleton vertex women declined significantly with increasing VBAC rate. When adjusted for maternal and hospital characteristics, low-risk nulliparous term singleton vertex women who gave birth in hospitals in the highest VBAC quartile had an odds ratio of 0.55 (95% confidence interval 0.46-0.66) of cesarean delivery compared with women at hospitals with the lowest VBAC rates. Each percentage point increase in a hospital's VBAC rate was associated with a 0.65% decrease in the low-risk nulliparous term singleton vertex cesarean delivery rate.ConclusionHospitals with higher rates of VBAC have lower rates of primary cesarean delivery among low-risk nulliparous women with singleton pregnancies at term in vertex presentation.Level of evidenceII.

La Communauté française décide en concertation avec la Région bruxelloise et la Région wallonne, de financer un Centre d’Epidémiologie Périnatale (CEpiP). Les Communautés et Régions chargent le CEpiP de les assister dans la vérification, le remplissage et la correction des certificats concernant les naissances à partir du 1er janvier 2008. Le CEpiP est également chargé d’encoder les certificats bruxellois, les certificats wallons étant toujours encodés par un sous-traitant.Un problème souvent rencontré dans l’analyse des certificats de naissance est la présence de données manquantes. Des informations manquaient sur 64.0% des certificats bruxellois de janvier 2008 (situation de base). Le renforcement de l’enregistrement par le CEpiP durant l’année 2008 est lié à une diminution des informations manquantes sur les certificats initiaux (à la sortie des maternités et services d’état civil) après la première et la deuxième année d’enregistrement :20,8% et 19,5% des naissances en décembre 2008 et 2009 respectivement. Le taux résiduel de données manquantes après correction grâce aux listes envoyées aux maternités et services d’Etat civil est faible. En particulier, la nationalité d’origine des parents était souvent manquante, jusqu’à 35% à Bruxelles (données non publiées), et ce taux est passé à 2.6% en 2008 et 0.1% en 2009. Certaines données manquantes ne sont pas distribuées de façon équivalente selon la nationalité de la mère, même après correction. Les mères d’origine sub-saharienne ont les taux de remplissage les moins élevés. Enfin, le taux de mort-nés a augmenté par rapport aux données de 2007, au profit des mort-nés avant l’âge de 28 semaines, et suggère une amélioration de l’enregistrement suite au renforcement de l’information.Les données concernant l’indice de masse corporelle des patientes sont donc relevées depuis 2009 pour l’ensemble des mères qui accouchent en Belgique. L’obésité maternelle et l’immigration sont en augmentation en Belgique, et ont été r, Doctorat en Sciences médicales, info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) is a potential cause of adverse pregnancy outcomes, but previous studies have been limited by low exposures and small study size.Using birth certificate information, we examined the relation between estimated PFOA exposure and birth outcomes in an area of West Virginia and Ohio whose drinking water was contaminated by a chemical plant.Births in the study area from 1990 through 2004 were examined to generate case groups of stillbirth (n = 106), pregnancy-induced hypertension (n = 224), preterm birth (n = 3,613), term low birth weight (n = 918), term small-for-gestational-age (SGA) (n = 353), and a continuous measure of birth weight among a sample of term births (n = 4,534). A 10% sample of term births ≥ 2,500 g were selected as a source of controls (n = 3,616). Historical estimates of serum PFOA were derived from a previously developed fate and transport model. In a second study, we examined 4,547 area births linked to a survey with residential history data.In the analysis based only on birth records, we found no consistent evidence of an association between estimated PFOA exposure and stillbirth, pregnancy-induced hypertension, preterm birth, or indices of fetal growth. In the analysis of birth records linked to the survey, PFOA was unrelated to pregnancy-induced hypertension or preterm birth but showed some suggestion of an association with early preterm birth. Measures of growth restriction showed weak and inconsistent associations with PFOA.Based on the analysis using the health survey, these results provide little support for an effect of PFOA exposure on most pregnancy outcomes, except for early preterm birth and possibly fetal growth restriction.

Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) is a potential cause of adverse pregnancy outcomes, but previous studies have been limited by low exposures and small study size.Using birth certificate information, we examined the relation between estimated PFOA exposure and birth outcomes in an area of West Virginia and Ohio whose drinking water was contaminated by a chemical plant.Births in the study area from 1990 through 2004 were examined to generate case groups of stillbirth (n = 106), pregnancy-induced hypertension (n = 224), preterm birth (n = 3,613), term low birth weight (n = 918), term small-for-gestational-age (SGA) (n = 353), and a continuous measure of birth weight among a sample of term births (n = 4,534). A 10% sample of term births ≥ 2,500 g were selected as a source of controls (n = 3,616). Historical estimates of serum PFOA were derived from a previously developed fate and transport model. In a second study, we examined 4,547 area births linked to a survey with residential history data.In the analysis based only on birth records, we found no consistent evidence of an association between estimated PFOA exposure and stillbirth, pregnancy-induced hypertension, preterm birth, or indices of fetal growth. In the analysis of birth records linked to the survey, PFOA was unrelated to pregnancy-induced hypertension or preterm birth but showed some suggestion of an association with early preterm birth. Measures of growth restriction showed weak and inconsistent associations with PFOA.Based on the analysis using the health survey, these results provide little support for an effect of PFOA exposure on most pregnancy outcomes, except for early preterm birth and possibly fetal growth restriction.

Health status update about costs and utilization of preventive health services in Utah. This publication also includes: 1) Breaking News: New Data From the 2009 Utah Birth Certificate Revision; 2) Community Health Indicators Spotlight: Asthma and Secondhand Smoke; and 3) Monthly Health Indicators Report.

Health status update about costs and utilization of preventive health services in Utah. This publication also includes: 1) Breaking News: New Data From the 2009 Utah Birth Certificate Revision; 2) Community Health Indicators Spotlight: Asthma and Secondhand Smoke; and 3) Monthly Health Indicators Report.

Vital statistics birth and death certificates are required by law to be filed with the state Office of Vital Records and Statistics and are the primary source of data presented in this report. These birth and death data are provisional until published in the annual report, Utah's Vital Statistics: Births and Deaths (Year).

Vital statistics birth and death certificates are required by law to be filed with the state Office of Vital Records and Statistics and are the primary source of data presented in this report. These birth and death data are provisional until published in the annual report, Utah's Vital Statistics: Births and Deaths (Year).

This black and white photograph features a birth certificate for Bert Stanley Horstman issued from the Washington State Board of Health in 1913. Frank Harris ordered the photograph.