ArticleBMJ open2022
Understanding ethnic inequalities in stillbirth rates: a UK population-based cohort study.
Article in BMJ open, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 20 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
20 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 43 citations in OpenAlex.
- Do Antenatal Interventions Improve Maternal and Perinatal Outcomes for Migrant Women Living in High-Income Countries and What Guidelines Exist for Migrant Women? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Birth (Berkeley, Calif.) · 2025Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Association of Maternal Nationality with Stillbirth and Infant Mortality: An Analysis of National Data in Japan.JMA journal · 2026Article
- Black parents' views and understanding of prenatal genetic testing: a cross-sectional survey of attitudes, knowledge and trust in UK healthcare.European journal of human genetics : EJHG · 2026Article
- Moving beyond good intentions: a qualitative study exploring healthcare professionals' perspectives on delivering equitable prenatal testing in the English NHS.International journal for equity in health · 2026Article
- "You think everything's fine and then it starts not being fine": a qualitative descriptive study exploring the prenatal testing experiences of Black women living in England.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2026Article
- Why current risk factor-based approaches fall short in predicting stillbirth: a national cohort study of nulliparous women in England.BMC medicine · 2026Article
- Changes in admissions, care processes and outcomes for very and extremely preterm infants in England and Wales: an 11-year whole population study.BMJ public health · 2026Article
- Can benchmarking uncover the disparities in the perinatal dashboard and improve the quality of care that pregnant women of diverse ethnic backgrounds receive? A retrospective cross-sectional study.BMJ open quality · 2025Article
- Impact of midwife continuity of carer on stillbirth rate and first feed in England.Communications medicine · 2025Article
- Diagnostic evaluation to identify infection-attributable stillbirth.Journal of perinatology : official journal of the California Perinatal Association · 2025Article
- Impact of health literacy on pregnancy outcomes in socioeconomically disadvantaged and ethnic minority populations: A scoping review.International journal of gynaecology and obstetrics: the official organ of the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics · 2025Article
- Systematic review of interventions to reduce ethnic health inequalities in maternal and perinatal health in the UK.BMJ public health · 2025Article
- Trajectories of brain and behaviour development in the womb, at birth and through infancy.Nature human behaviour · 2024Review
- Risk factors for a serious adverse outcome in neonates: a retrospective cohort study of vaginal births.BJOG : an international journal of obstetrics and gynaecology · 2023Observational
- How is ethnicity reported, described, and analysed in health research in the UK? A bibliographical review and focus group discussions with young refugees.BMC public health · 2023Review
- Grouping women of South Asian ethnicity for pregnancy research in New Zealand.The Australian & New Zealand journal of obstetrics & gynaecology · 2023Article
- Ending preventable stillbirths and improving bereavement care: a scorecard for high- and upper-middle income countries.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2023Article
- Is there a relation between stillbirth and low levels of vitamin D in the population? A bi-national follow-up study of vitamin D fortification.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2023Article
- Characteristics, treatment and care of pregnant women living with hepatitis B in England: findings from a national audit.Epidemiology and infection · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
9 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesTo investigate inequalities in stillbirth rates by ethnicity to facilitate development of initiatives to target those at highest risk.
designPopulation-based perinatal mortality surveillance linked to national birth and death registration (Mothers and Babies: Reducing Risk through Audits and Confidential Enquiries across the UK).
settingUK.
participants4 391 569 singleton births at ≥24
main outcome measuresStillbirth rate difference per 1000 total births by ethnicity.
resultsAdjusted absolute differences in stillbirth rates were higher for babies of black African (3.83, 95% CI 3.35 to 4.32), black Caribbean (3.60, 95% CI 2.65 to 4.55) and Pakistani (2.99, 95% CI 2.58 to 3.40) ethnicities compared with white ethnicities. Higher proportions of babies of Bangladeshi (42%), black African (39%), other black (39%) and black Caribbean (37%) ethnicities were from most deprived areas, which were associated with an additional risk of 1.50 stillbirths per 1000 births (95% CI 1.32 to 1.67). Exploring primary cause of death, higher stillbirth rates due to congenital anomalies were observed in babies of Pakistani, Bangladeshi and black African ethnicities (range 0.63-1.05 per 1000 births) and more placental causes in black ethnicities (range 1.97 to 2.24 per 1000 births). For the whole population, over 40% of stillbirths were of unknown cause; however, this was particularly high for babies of other Asian (60%), Bangladeshi (58%) and Indian (52%) ethnicities.
conclusionsStillbirth rates declined in the UK, but substantial excess risk of stillbirth persists among babies of black and Asian ethnicities. The combined disadvantage for black, Pakistani and Bangladeshi ethnicities who are more likely to live in most deprived areas is associated with considerably higher rates. Key causes of death were congenital anomalies and placental causes. Improved strategies for investigation of stillbirth causes are needed to reduce unexplained deaths so that interventions can be targeted to reduce stillbirths.
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