Is the economic crisis affecting birth outcome in Spain? Evaluation of temporal trend in underweight at birth (2003–2012)

Abstract

Background: There is a growing evidence of the impact of the current European economic crisis on health. In Spain since 2008 there have been increasing levels of impoverishment and inequality, and important cuts in social services, including per capita spending on healthcare. Aim:The objective is to evaluate the impact of the economic crisis on underweight at birth in Spain. Results and conclusions:Results demonstrate a significant increase in the prevalence of underweight at birth as from 2008. All maternal-foetal categories were affected, including those which showed the lowest prevalence before the crisis. In the full adjusted logistic regression, year-on-year GDP per capita remains predictive on underweight at birth risk, in such a way that the fall in GDP between 2007 and 2012 determined an increase of the OR of underweight at birth by 6.63%. Previous trends in maternal socio-demographic profile and a direct impact of the crisis are discussed to explain the trends described.

The Benefits of Intervention: Birth Weights in Basle 1912-1920

“…The overview by Karanikolos et al (2013) on the consequences of the financial crisis for public health across Europe suggests that the severity of the effect depends crucially on policy responses. In terms of birth weight, recent research on Spain shows a marked increase in the prevalence of underweight during the financial crisis (Varea et al, 2016), which, given the results in the literature, can be expected to have negative long-run effects on well-being: an increasing number of studies shows negative long-run effects of adverse early life conditions on educational achievement, morbidity or mortality later in life (e.g. Barker, 1992Barker, , 1998Fogel, 2004;van den Berg et al, 2006;Lindeboom et al, 2010;Weaver, 2011;Almond and Currie, 2011).…”

Trends in sociodemographic and health care factors in Portuguese and non‐Portuguese mothers giving birth in Portugal, 1995‐2014

“…During the last few decades, many European countries experienced an increase in female migrants of childbearing age. 10,18,32 In the 20 years covered by this study, we observed an increase in the proportion of livebirths by non-Portuguese. Even though we did not detect any significant change in source countries, there could have been a cohort or period effect on the risk factors of adverse pregnancy outcome in migrants.…”

“…During the last few decades, many European countries experienced an increase in female migrants of childbearing age . In the 20 years covered by this study, we observed an increase in the proportion of livebirths by non‐Portuguese.…”

Human life course biology: A centennial perspective of scholarship on the human pattern of physical growth and its place in human biocultural evolution

“…Tanner's examples were secular trends and class distinctions in height and other body dimensions. A deeper consideration of the political‐economic and biocultural nature of human life course biology on growth, health, reproduction, and other topics is found in a seminal text Building a new Biocultural Synthesis (Goodman & Leatherman, ) and other articles by physical anthropologists (Bogin & Loucky, ; Dufour, ; Stinson, Bogin, & O'rourke, ; Varea, Terán, Bernis, Bogin, & González‐González, ), all of whom have, not coincidentally, a research background in human growth, development and maturation.…”