ArticleThe Australian & New Zealand journal of obstetrics & gynaecology2022
Reduction in preterm birth rates during and after the COVID-19 lockdown in Queensland Australia.
Article in The Australian & New Zealand journal of obstetrics & gynaecology, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 11 citations in OpenAlex.
- The association of COVID-19 lockdowns with adverse birth and pregnancy outcomes in 28 high-income countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Nature human behaviour · 2025Pooled it
- Policy Responses to the COVID-19 Pandemic in High-Income Countries and the Associated Maternal-Infant Health Outcomes: A Systematic Literature and Policy Review.Health science reports · 2026Review
- Association of COVID-19 mitigation measures with preterm birth and cervical length: A cohort study.Pregnancy (Hoboken, N.J.) · 2026Article
- Effect of the COVID-19 lockdown in Shanghai on maternal and neonatal outcomes.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2025Article
- The Incidence of Necrotizing Enterocolitis and Late-Onset Sepsis during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Sweden: A Population-Based Cohort Study.Neonatology · 2024Article
- Indirect effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on risk of gestational diabetes and factors contributing to increased risk in a multiethnic population: a retrospective cohort study.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2023Article
- Risks and Preventions for Pregnant Women and Their Preterm Infants in a World with COVID-19: A Narrative Review.Vaccines · 2023Review
- Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on birth outcomes: A retrospective cohort study in Nanjing, China.Frontiers in public health · 2022Article
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 1 institution in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundPreventative strategies for preterm birth are lacking. Recent evidence proposed COVID-19 lockdowns may have contributed to changes in preterm birth.
aimsTo determine the prevalence of preterm birth and birth outcomes during and after the COVID-19 lockdown at the Sunshine Coast University Hospital and the overall state of Queensland, Australia.
methodsRetrospective cohort analysis of all births in Queensland including the Sunshine Coast University Hospital, during two epochs, April 1-May 31, 2020 (lockdown) and June 1-July 31, 2020 (post-lockdown), compared to antecedent calendar-matched periods in 2018-2019. Prevalence of preterm birth, stillbirth, and late terminations were examined.
resultsThere were 64 989 births in Queensland from April to July 2018-2020. At the Sunshine Coast University Hospital, there was a significantly higher chance of birth at term during both lockdown (odds ratio (OR) 1.81, 95% CI 1.17, 2.79; P = 0.007) and post-lockdown (OR 2.01, 95% CI 1.27, 3.18; P = 0.003). At the same centre, prevalence of preterm birth was 5.5% (30/547) during lockdown, compared to 9.1% (100/1095) in previous years, a 40.0% relative reduction (P = 0.016). At this centre during lockdown, emergency caesareans concurrently decreased (P < 0.01) and instrumental vaginal births increased (P < 0.01). In Queensland overall, there was a nonsignificant decrease in the prevalence of preterm birth during lockdown.
conclusionsThere is a link between lockdown and a reduction in the prevalence of preterm birth on the Sunshine Coast. The cause is speculative at present, although increased influenza vaccination rates, decreased transmission of infections, and improved air quality may have been favourable in reducing preterm birth. Further research is needed to determine a causal link.
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