Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38834230›Full record

ArticleJournal of epidemiology and community health2024

Investigating low birth weight and preterm birth as potential mediators in the relationship between prenatal infections and early child development: a linked administrative health data analysis.

Iain Hardie, Aja Murray, Josiah King, Hildigunnar Anna Hall, Kenneth Okelo, Emily Luedecke, Louise Marryat, Lucy Thompson, Helen Minnis, Michael Lombardo and 2 more

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In one paragraph

Article in Journal of epidemiology and community health, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

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0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

Iain HardieDepartment of Psychology, School of Philosophy Psychology and Language Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK i.hardie@ed.ac.uk.ORCID 0000-0002-4694-3755
Aja MurrayDepartment of Psychology, School of Philosophy Psychology and Language Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
Josiah KingDepartment of Psychology, School of Philosophy Psychology and Language Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
Hildigunnar Anna HallCentre for Health Security and Communicable Disease Control, Directorate of Health, Reykjavik, Iceland.
Kenneth OkeloDepartment of Psychology, School of Philosophy Psychology and Language Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
Emily LuedeckeDepartment of Psychology, School of Philosophy Psychology and Language Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
Louise MarryatSchool of Health Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK.
Lucy ThompsonCentre for Rural Health, University of Aberdeen, Inverness, UK.
Helen MinnisSchool of Health and Wellbeing, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK.
Michael LombardoLaboratory for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Center for Neuroscience and Cognitive Systems, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Rovereto, Italy.
Philip WilsonCentre for Rural Health, University of Aberdeen, Inverness, UK.
Bonnie AuyeungDepartment of Psychology, School of Philosophy Psychology and Language Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPrenatal infections are associated with childhood developmental outcomes such as reduced cognitive abilities, emotional problems and other developmental vulnerabilities. However, there is currently a lack of research examining whether this arises due to potential intermediary variables like low birth weight or preterm birth, or due to some other mechanisms of maternal immune activation arising from prenatal infections.

methodsAdministrative data from the National Health Service health board of Greater Glasgow & Clyde, Scotland, were used, linking birth records to hospital records and universal child health review records for 55 534 children born from 2011 to 2015, and their mothers. Causal mediation analysis was conducted to examine the extent to which low birth weight and preterm birth mediate the relationship between hospital-diagnosed prenatal infections and having developmental concern(s) identified by a health visitor during 6-8 weeks or 27-30 months child health reviews.

resultsModel estimates suggest that 5.18% (95% CI 3.77% to 7.65%) of the positive association observed between hospital-diagnosed prenatal infections and developmental concern(s) was mediated by low birth weight, while 7.37% (95% CI 5.36 to 10.88%) was mediated by preterm birth.

conclusionLow birth weight and preterm birth appear to mediate the relationship between prenatal infections and childhood development, but only to a small extent. Maternal immune activation mechanisms unrelated to low birth weight and preterm birth remain the most likely explanation for associations observed between prenatal infections and child developmental outcomes, although other factors (for example, genetic factors) may also be involved.

Indexed as

Child DevelopmentInfant, Low Birth WeightPremature BirthAdultChild, PreschoolFemaleHumansInfantInfant, NewbornMalePregnancyPregnancy Complications, InfectiousPrenatal Exposure Delayed EffectsScotlandchild healthinfectionspregnancy

Identifiers

PMID38834230
PMCPMC11347972

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.