Ethnic disparity and exposure to supplements rather than adverse childhood experiences linked to preterm birth in Pakistani women.

BACKGROUND

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are associated with prenatal mental health and negative pregnancy outcomes in high income countries, but whether the same association exists in Pakistan, a low- to middle-income (LMI) country, remains unclear.

METHODS

Secondary data analyses of a prospective longitudinal cohort study examining biopsychosocial measures of 300 pregnant women at four sites in Karachi, Pakistan. A predictive multiple logistic regression model for preterm birth (PTB; i.e., <37 weeks' gestation) was developed from variables significantly (P < 0.05) or marginally (P < 0.10) associated with PTB in the bivariate analyses.

RESULTS

Of the 300 women, 263 (88%) returned for delivery and were included in the current analyses. The PTB rate was 11.1%. We found no association between ACE and PTB. Mother's education (P = 0.011), mother's ethnicity (P = 0.010), medications during pregnancy (P = 0.006), age at birth of first child or current age if primiparous (P = 0.049) and age at marriage (P = 0.091) emerged as significant in bivariate analyses. Mother's ethnicity and taking medications remained predictive of PTB in the multivariate model.

LIMITATIONS

Findings are limited by the relatively small sample size which precludes direct testing for possible interactive effects.

CONCLUSIONS

In sum, pathways to PTB for women in LMI countries may differ from those observed in high-income countries and may need to be modelled differently to include behavioural response to emotional distress and socio-cultural contexts.