Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39216622›Full record

ArticleThe Journal of pediatrics2025

County-Level Structural Vulnerabilities in Maternal Health and Geographic Variation in Infant Mortality.

Daria C Murosko, Josh Radack, Alejandra Barreto, Molly Passarella, Brielle Formanowski, Carolyn McGann, Timothy Nelin, Kathryn Paul, Michelle-Marie Peña, Elizabeth G Salazar and 4 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in The Journal of pediatrics, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Gentrification, measures of neighborhood change, and infant mortality in Michigan.Journal of perinatology : official journal of the California Perinatal Association · 2026
    Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

14 authors.

Daria C MuroskoDivision of Neonatology, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA; Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA. Electronic address: Muroskod@chop.edu.
Josh RadackDivision of Neonatology, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA.
Alejandra BarretoDivision of Neonatology, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA.
Molly PassarellaDivision of Neonatology, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA.
Brielle FormanowskiDivision of Neonatology, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA.
Carolyn McGannDivision of Neonatology, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA; Department of Pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA.
Timothy NelinDivision of Neonatology, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA; Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA.
Kathryn PaulDepartment of Pediatrics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC.
Michelle-Marie PeñaDivision of Neonatology, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta and Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA.
Elizabeth G SalazarDivision of Neonatology, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA; Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA.
Heather H BurrisDivision of Neonatology, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA; Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA; Department of Pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA.
Sara C HandleyDivision of Neonatology, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA; Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA; Department of Pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA.
Diana Montoya-WilliamsDivision of Neonatology, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA; Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA; Department of Pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA.
Scott A LorchDivision of Neonatology, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA; Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA; Department of Pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA.

Funding

Translational Research Support CoreP30ES013508 · NIEHS · UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA · PI A. Clementina Mesaros · 2006 to 2026
$35.3M
Training in Critical Care Health Policy ResearchT32HL098054 · NHLBI · UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA · PI Scott D Halpern · 2010 to 2026
$8.2M
NHLBI NIH HHS T32 HL098054NIEHS NIH HHS P30 ES013508
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveTo evaluate whether community factors that differentially affect the health of pregnant people contribute to geographic differences in infant mortality across the US. STUDY

designThis retrospective cohort study sought to characterize the association of a novel composite measure of county-level maternal structural vulnerabilities, the Maternal Vulnerability Index (MVI), with risk of infant death. We evaluated 11 456 232 singleton infants born at 22 0 of 7 through 44 6 of 7 weeks' gestation from 2012 to 2014. Using county-level MVI, which ranges from 0 to 100, multivariable mixed effects logistic regression models quantified associations per 20-point increment in MVI, with odds of death clustered at the county level and adjusted for state, maternal, and infant covariates. Secondary analyses stratified by the social, physical, and health exposures that comprise the overall MVI score. Outcome was also stratified by cause of death.

resultsRates of death were higher among infants from counties with the greatest maternal vulnerability (0.62% in highest quintile vs 0.32% in lowest quintile, [P < .001]). Odds of death increased 6% per 20-point increment in MVI (aOR: 1.06, 95% CI 1.04, 1.07). The effect estimate was highest with theme of Mental Health and Substance Abse (aOR 1.08; 95% CI 1.06, 1.09). Increasing vulnerability was associated with 6 of 7 causes of death.

conclusionsCommunity-level social, physical, and healthcare determinants indicative of maternal vulnerability may explain some of the geographic variation in infant death, regardless of cause of death. Interventions targeted to county-specific maternal vulnerabilities may reduce infant mortality.

Indexed as

Infant MortalityMaternal HealthAdultFemaleHumansInfantInfant, NewbornMalePregnancyRetrospective StudiesUnited StatesVulnerable PopulationsYoung Adultcommunity determinants of healthinfant mortalitymaternal-child healthstructural vulnerabilitysudden unexpected infant death

Identifiers

PMID39216622
PMCPMC11645216

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

None linked

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.