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Purpose: Prenatal stress is a known risk for poor birth outcomes. This study specifically looked at reported stress during pregnancy and low birth weight (LBW) in Rhode Island. Methods: Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) data from 2016 to 2018 for the state of Rhode Island was utilized. Stress during most recent pregnancy was dichotomized as: 'none to minimal' and 'moderate to high.' LBW was defined as less than 2,500 g. Multivariable regression analysis was performed, accounting for complex survey design. Results: In this cohort, 24% of pregnant people reported moderate to high stress leading to an adjusted odds of 1.70 (95% CI 1.43–2.03) of having a LBW newborn compared to those with none to minimal stress. Primiparity, previous preterm birth, racism, smoking history, and history of chronic medical problems were also associated with LBW newborns. Conclusion: We recommend screening and provision of support services for stress in all settings where pregnant people access care. Significance statement: Stress during pregnancy has been highlighted as a risk for poor birth outcomes. There are different measurements of prenatal stress ranging from stressful life events (SLEs) to direct pregnancy related stress, which have differential impacts on perinatal health. In our study, pregnant people who reported moderate to high stress were more likely to have LBW newborns compared to those who reported none to minimal stress. This study assessed self-reported stress during pregnancy as opposed to discrete SLE or chronic stressors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This cross-sectional study aimed to estimate the risks of adverse birth outcomes among pregnant smokers and the benefits of smoking cessation during pregnancy on birth outcomes across the United States. Methods: We performed an analysis of 203,437 pregnant women using data collected by the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) from 2012 to 2017. PRAMS uses questionnaires and birth certificates to collect information about the socio-demographic characteristics of pregnant women, smoking status before and during pregnancy, and birth outcomes. We assessed the relationship between self-reported smoking status during pregnancy and preterm birth, low birth weight, and small-for-gestational-age using multivariable logistic regression models. Results: In our study population, 80.43% of pregnant women never smoked, 10.55% of pregnant women quit smoking during pregnancy, and 9.02% continued smoking during pregnancy. Puerto Rico had the highest prevalence of non-smokers (94.12%), while West Virginia had the lowest prevalence of non-smokers (60.54%). Pregnant women who had a higher education level, were married, had less than 5 types of stress, and had government or private insurance before pregnancy had a higher prevalence of smokers who quit during pregnancy (quit smokers) than those that continued smoking (continuous smokers). Compared to non-smokers, continuous smokers had a significantly higher risk of low birth weight (AOR: 1.91, 95% CI 1.80, 2.03), preterm birth (AOR: 1.31, 95% CI 1.21, 1.41), and small-for-gestational-age (AOR: 2.22, 95% CI 2.07, 2.39). However, the relationships between quitting smoking and preterm birth and small-for-gestational-age were not significant. Conclusion: Our models suggest that smoking cessation during pregnancy can prevent adverse birth outcomes by significantly reducing the risk of preterm birth and small-for-gestational-age to almost comparable to not smoking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Influenza vaccination during pregnancy is highly recommended. We examined the association between maternal influenza vaccination and adverse birth outcomes. This cross-sectional study used data from the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) during 2012–2017. The primary exposure was the receipt of influenza vaccination during pregnancy. Low birth weight (LBW), preterm birth (PTB), and small for gestational age (SGA) were the primary outcomes. We conducted multivariable logistic regression models to estimate the adjusted odds ratios (AOR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Covariates used to adjust confounding included maternal age, marital status, education, race and ethnicity, insurance status before pregnancy, and smoking status. For a subgroup in 2012–2015, we analyzed the association between influenza vaccination in each trimester and adverse birth outcomes. During 2012–2017, compared with unvaccinated women, women vaccinated during pregnancy had a lower risk of LBW and PTB. During 2012–2015, maternal influenza vaccination in the 1st and 3rd trimesters was associated with a reduced risk of LBW and PTB, and vaccination in the 3rd trimester had a greater protective effect than in the 1st trimester. Influenza vaccination was not associated with SGA regardless of trimester. Our findings suggest that influenza vaccination during pregnancy is a safe and effective way to protect newborns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) that are traumatic events that happen to an individual before the age of eighteen. Topics include examines that several adversities faced during childhood range from physical, sexual or emotional abuse, to poverty, parental substance abuse and parental incarceration.