Maternal morbidity and perinatal outcomes among women in rural versus urban areas

Abstract

Interpretation: Compared with women in urban areas, those in rural areas had higher rates of severe maternal morbidity and severe neonatal morbidity, and a lower rate of NICU admission. Maternity care providers in rural regions need to be aware of potentially life-threatening maternal and perinatal complications requiring advanced obstetric and neonatal care. AbstractResearch

Rural community birth: Maternal and neonatal outcomes for planned community births among rural women in the United States, 2004‐2009

“…Similar to results reported elsewhere, rural women in this study were younger, more likely to have Medicaid for payment, less diverse, and more likely to initiate care later in pregnancy . They had lower rates of antenatal complications, fewer years of formal education, fewer antenatal visits, and were more likely to be planning a home birth versus a birth center birth . Rural women in our study were also more likely to be multiparous and have higher parity relative to the rest of the cohort, even excluding the Plain subgroup.…”

“…35 They had lower rates of antenatal complications, 37 fewer years of formal education, fewer antenatal visits, 41,42 and were more likely to be planning a home birth versus a birth center birth. 24,43 Rural women in our study were also more likely to be multiparous and have higher parity relative to the rest of the cohort, even excluding the Plain subgroup. Before adjusting for risk factors, rural women demonstrated a decreased risk for Tables 2 and 3), rural status was not associated with an increased risk for women or infants.…”

Disparities in Chronic Conditions Among Women Hospitalized for Delivery in the United States, 2005–2014

“…5–10 Whether the prevalence of these conditions has stabilized, decreased, or worsened since these reports is largely unknown. There is also a paucity of information on how the prevalence of chronic conditions varies by key socio-economic predictors of obstetric morbidity and mortality, including rural vs. urban residence, 11 income, 4,12 and insurance coverage status. 4 These estimates are necessary for providers and policymakers to identify populations that would most benefit from evidence-based interventions to reduce maternal morbidity and mortality and improve maternal health.…”

Maternal morbidity and perinatal outcomes in rural versus urban areas

“…We thank Grzybowski 1 and Lespérance 2 and their colleagues for their comments on our article 3 and strongly agree that local maternity services have beneficial effects on maternal and fetal/infant health in rural areas. These groups have been longstanding champions for rural maternity care services in Canada, and we applaud their efforts to provide quality care for low-risk women in rural settings.…”