Socio-economic inequalities in low-birth weight, full-term babies from singleton pregnancies in Taiwan.

Summary Objectives: This study investigated the chronological trend of tow-birth weight in full-term babies (TLBW) in Taiwan in the 1980s and 1990s when the nation experienced a rapid economic advancement, and assessed the association between TLBW and parental education and marital status. Design: Data from liveborn singletons from Taiwan's birth registry, born between 1978 and 1997, were used to calculate overall and socio-economic factor-specific rates of TLBW for every 2-year interval in this 20-year period. Methods: Logistic regression models were used to assess the trend of TLBW rates, and the interaction between secular time, selected demographic factors and other predictors. Results: Among 6,159,070 full-term, liveborn singletons, 208,729 were TLBW. The average annual rate of TLBW was 3.39% in the study period. The period-specific TLBW declined monotonically from 4.41% in 1978-1979 to 2.49% in 1996-1997, representing a 43% deduction. Multiple logistic regression demonstrated persistent declining trends irrespective of the educational level or marital status of the parents. However, the decline was slower for populations of tower socio-economic status, such as less-educated parents and unmarried mothers, which enhanced the inequalities of TLBW risk across populations. The TLBW risk ratios of the least-educated mothers to the most-educated mothers increased from 1.43 in 1978-1979 to 2.05 in 1996-1997. Unmarried status was an independent predictor of elevated risk of TLBW. Conclusions: The association between socio-economic inequality and the risk of TLBW infants was sustained over the 1980s and 1990s in Taiwan. Interventions necessary to promote antenatal care and educational attainment, particularly for lower socio-economic and socially deprived populations in Taiwan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]