Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-r5fsc Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-29T14:17:50.884Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The artifactual nature of effects of maternal age on risk of stillbirth

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 July 2008

Laurence J. Resseguie
Laurence J. Resseguie
Affiliation:
Department of Biology, Beloit College, Beloit, Wisconsin, USA
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

Analysis of stillbirth data from the State of Wisconsin demonstrates that the association of stillbirth rate with mother's age is basically an artifact of analysis rather than a reflection of genuine effects of age on risk. When births to mothers of a single parity are subdivided according to the amount of education completed by the mother, the association between stillbirth rate and maternal age in each educational group differs substantially from the others. The association observed for all births of a single parity is inapplicable to any educational subdivision of the data.

It is argued that the associations which are observed are the consequence of social forces which distribute women of varying intrinsic risk of stillbirth unevenly among age–parity categories.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Biosocial Science , Volume 9 , Issue 2 , April 1977 , pp. 191 - 200
Copyright
Copyright © 1977, Cambridge University Press

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Cox, D.R. (1970) The Analysis of Binary Data, p. 142. Methuen, London.Google Scholar
Gendell, M. & Hellegers, A.E. (1973) The influence of changes in maternal age, birth order, and color on the changing perinatal mortality, Baltimore, 1961–66. Health Services Reports, 88, 733.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Resseguie, L.J. (1973a) Changes in stillbirth ratios resulting from changing fashions in age of childbearing. Soc. Biol. 20, 173.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Resseguie, L.J. (1973b) Influence of age, birth order and reproductive compensation on stillbirth ratios. J. biosoc. Sci. 5, 443.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Resseguie, L.J. (1974) Pregnancy wastage and age of mother among the Amish. Hum. Biol. 46, 633.Google ScholarPubMed
Resseguie, L.J. (1976) Comparison of longitudinal and cross-sectional analysis: maternal age and stillbirth ratio. Am. J. Epidemiol. 103, 551.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sklar, J. & Berkov, B. (1975) The American birth rate: evidences of a coming rise. Science, N. Y. 189, 693.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Tabah, L. & Sutter, J. (1948) Influence respective de l’âge maternel et du range de naissance sur la mortinatalité. Population, 3, 63.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Yerushalmy, J. (1938) Neonatal mortality by order of birth and age of parents. Am. J. Hygiene, 28, 244.Google ScholarPubMed