SynthesisBMC public health2013
The associations of parity and maternal age with small-for-gestational-age, preterm, and neonatal and infant mortality: a meta-analysis.
Synthesis in BMC public health, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 156 papers, 9 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
156 citing papers in PubMed, 9 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Birth outcomes for women with pre-existing mental health problems: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMJ open · 2026Pooled it
- Under-five mortality and social determinants in africa: a systematic review.European journal of pediatrics · 2025Pooled it
- Dietary diversity and its associated factors among adolescent girls in Ethiopia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC public health · 2024Pooled it
- A systematic review on estimating population attributable fraction for risk factors for small-for-gestational-age births in 81 low- and middle-income countries.Journal of global health · 2022Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Association between parity and the risk for urinary incontinence in women: A meta-analysis of case-control and cohort studies.Medicine · 2018Pooled it
- The impact of armed conflict on adolescent transitions: a systematic review of quantitative research on age of sexual debut, first marriage and first birth in young women under the age of 20 years.BMC public health · 2016Pooled it
- Short Maternal Stature Increases Risk of Small-for-Gestational-Age and Preterm Births in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: Individual Participant Data Meta-Analysis and Population Attributable Fraction.The Journal of nutrition · 2015Pooled it
- A meta-analysis of socio-demographic factors for perinatal mortality in developing countries: a subgroup analysis of the national surveys and small scale studies.Ethiopian journal of health sciences · 2014Pooled it
- Prevalence, risk factors and short-term consequences of adverse birth outcomes in Zimbabwean pregnant women: a secondary analysis of a cluster-randomized trial.International journal of epidemiology · 2022Trial
- Low-dose aspirin for the prevention of preterm delivery in nulliparous women with a singleton pregnancy (ASPIRIN): a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.Lancet (London, England) · 2020Trial
- Maternal Characteristics Affect Fetal Growth Response in the Women First Preconception Nutrition Trial.Nutrients · 2019Trial
- Right-sizing Incentives.Journal of development economics · 2026Article
- Interpregnancy interval and maternal postpartum depression and anxiety: findings from the APrON cohort.European journal of public health · 2026Article
- Parity-Related Differences in Neonatal Outcomes Among Adolescent Mothers: A Retrospective Cohort Study.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Maternal Health and Sociodemographic Characteristics Influence Infant Growth to 24 Months in the Tunza Mwana Cohort: A Prospective Cohort Study.Maternal & child nutrition · 2026Article
- Factors associated with birth weight and birth length among term newborns in Vietnam: a retrospective cross-sectional study.Child health nursing research · 2026Article
- The Persistence of High Maternal Anaemia and Low Birthweight Despite Declining Malaria Transmission and Prevalence in Ghana.Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Assessment of Maternal Health Literacy and Its Association With Pregnancy Outcomes Among Women.Cureus · 2026Article
- Interpretable prediction of neonatal mortality and its key predictors using machine learning and SHAP analysis.BMC medical informatics and decision making · 2026Article
96 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
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Authors and funding
21 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundPrevious studies have reported on adverse neonatal outcomes associated with parity and maternal age. Many of these studies have relied on cross-sectional data, from which drawing causal inference is complex. We explore the associations between parity/maternal age and adverse neonatal outcomes using data from cohort studies conducted in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC).
methodsData from 14 cohort studies were included. Parity (nulliparous, parity 1-2, parity ≥ 3) and maternal age (<18 years, 18-<35 years, ≥ 35 years) categories were matched with each other to create exposure categories, with those who are parity 1-2 and age 18-<35 years as the reference. Outcomes included small-for-gestational-age (SGA), preterm, neonatal and infant mortality. Adjusted odds ratios (aOR) were calculated per study and meta-analyzed.
resultsNulliparous, age <18 year women, compared with women who were parity 1-2 and age 18-<35 years had the highest odds of SGA (pooled adjusted OR: 1.80), preterm (pooled aOR: 1.52), neonatal mortality (pooled aOR: 2.07), and infant mortality (pooled aOR: 1.49). Increased odds were also noted for SGA and neonatal mortality for nulliparous/age 18-<35 years, preterm, neonatal, and infant mortality for parity ≥ 3/age 18-<35 years, and preterm and neonatal mortality for parity ≥ 3/≥ 35 years.
conclusionsNulliparous women <18 years of age have the highest odds of adverse neonatal outcomes. Family planning has traditionally been the least successful in addressing young age as a risk factor; a renewed focus must be placed on finding effective interventions that delay age at first birth. Higher odds of adverse outcomes are also seen among parity ≥ 3 / age ≥ 35 mothers, suggesting that reproductive health interventions need to address the entirety of a woman's reproductive period.
fundingFunding was provided by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (810-2054) by a grant to the US Fund for UNICEF to support the activities of the Child Health Epidemiology Reference Group.
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