National Centre for Population Health and Wellbeing Research, Swansea University Medical School, Swansea, Wales, United Kingdom.
Research and Evaluation Division, Knowledge Directorate, Public Health Wales, Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom.
PLoS One. 2022 May 24;17(5):e0267176. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0267176. eCollection 2022.
Pregnancy can be a stressful time and the COVID-19 pandemic has affected all aspects of life. This study aims to investigate the pandemic impact on pregnancy experience, rates of primary childhood immunisations and the differences in birth outcomes in during 2020 to those of previous years.
Self-reported pregnancy experience: 215 expectant mothers (aged 16+) in Wales completed an online survey about their experiences of pregnancy during the pandemic. The qualitative survey data was analysed using codebook thematic analysis. Population-level birth outcomes in Wales: Stillbirths, prematurity, birth weight and Caesarean section births before (2016-2019) and during (2020) the pandemic were compared using anonymised individual-level, population-scale routine data held in the Secure Anonymised Information Linkage (SAIL) Databank. Uptake of the first three scheduled primary childhood immunisations were compared between 2019 and 2020.
The pandemic had a negative impact on the mental health of 71% of survey respondents, who reported anxiety, stress and loneliness; this was associated with attending scans without their partner, giving birth alone, and minimal contact with midwives. There was no significant difference in annual outcomes including gestation and birth weight, stillbirths, and Caesarean sections for infants born in 2020 compared to 2016-2019. There was an increase in late term births (≥42 weeks gestation) during the first lockdown (OR: 1.28, p = 0.019) and a decrease in moderate to late preterm births (32-36 weeks gestation) during the second lockdown (OR: 0.74, p = 0.001). Fewer babies were born in 2020 (N = 29,031) compared to 2016-2019 (average N = 32,582). All babies received their immunisations in 2020, but there were minor delays in the timings of immunisations. Those due at 8-weeks were 8% less likely to be on time (within 28-days) and at 16-weeks, they were 19% less likely to be on time.
Whilst the pandemic had a negative impact on mothers' experiences of pregnancy. Population-level data suggests that this did not translate to adverse birth outcomes for babies born during the pandemic.
怀孕可能是一个充满压力的时期，而 COVID-19 大流行影响了生活的方方面面。本研究旨在调查大流行对怀孕体验、儿童初级免疫接种率的影响，并比较 2020 年与前几年的出生结果差异。
自我报告的怀孕经历：威尔士的 215 名孕妇（年龄在 16 岁以上）完成了一项关于她们在大流行期间怀孕经历的在线调查。使用匿名的、基于人群的常规数据，对威尔士的人口水平出生结果进行比较，这些数据在 Secure Anonymised Information Linkage (SAIL) 数据库中保存。该数据库包含个体级别的匿名人口规模常规数据。使用代码簿主题分析对定性调查数据进行分析。
71%的调查受访者报告称，大流行对他们的心理健康产生了负面影响，他们感到焦虑、压力和孤独；这与扫描时没有伴侣陪同、独自分娩以及与助产士的接触很少有关。与 2016-2019 年相比，2020 年出生的婴儿在年度结局方面（包括胎龄和出生体重、死产和剖宫产）没有显著差异。在第一次封锁期间，晚期分娩（≥42 周妊娠）增加（OR：1.28，p = 0.019），在第二次封锁期间，中度至晚期早产（32-36 周妊娠）减少（OR：0.74，p = 0.001）。2020 年出生的婴儿数量（N = 29031）少于 2016-2019 年（平均 N = 32582）。所有婴儿都在 2020 年接种了疫苗，但免疫接种的时间略有延迟。在 8 周龄时，按时（28 天内）接种的可能性低 8%（OR：0.92，p = 0.021），在 16 周龄时，按时接种的可能性低 19%（OR：0.81，p = 0.002）。
尽管大流行对母亲的怀孕体验产生了负面影响，但人群水平的数据表明，这并没有转化为大流行期间出生的婴儿的不良出生结果。
