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Marital Status as a Risk Factor for Fetal and Infant Mortality

Department of Population Health Sciences, National Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway: Correspondence address: Annett Arntzen Department of Population Health Sciences National Institute of Public Health Geitmyrsvn. 75 0462 Oslo Norway

Torbjorn Moum

Department of Behavioural Sciences in Medicine, University of Oslo, Norway

Per Magnus

Department of Population Health Sciences, National Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway

Leiv S. Bakketeig

Department of Population Health Sciences, National Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway

In order to study pregnancy outcome for married versus unmarried mothers when controlling statistically for maternal age, educational level, socioeconomic status and income, a total of 93,800 firstborn singleton births in 1978-1982 were examined. The unmarried mothers were younger, less well educated and had a lower socioeconomic status than the married mothers. The stillbirth, neonatal, and postneo-natal mortality rates were higher among offspring of unmarried mothers. After taking sociodemographic factors into account, marital status was found to be associated with postneonatal mortality. The adjusted odds ratio for postneo-natal mortality was 1.5.

Our results indicate the importance of marital status as a demographic risk factor even in a welfare society. There is a need to identify specific risk behaviours associated with the life styles of unmarried mothers. Hopefully our findings will provide information that can be used for future programmes of prevention, especially for the mother and her child during the first year of life.

Key Words: Stillbirth • neonatal mortality • postneonatal mortality • marital status • maternal age • educational level • socioeconomic status • income

Scandinavian Journal of Public Health, Vol. 24, No. 1, 36-42 (1996)
DOI: 10.1177/140349489602400106


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