Table 1:
Baseline maternal and neonatal characteristics of cohort.
| Overall Cohort (N=3556) | ACS-exposed (N=629) | ACS not-exposed (N=2927) | P value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maternal Characteristics | ||||
| Age (years), mean (SD) | 26.6 ± 5.8 | 27.2 ± 5.9 | 36.5 ± 5.8 | 0.003 |
| Ethnicity | ||||
| Hispanic or Latino | 244 (6.9%) | 43 (6.8%) | 201 (6.9%) | 0.841 |
| Not Hispanic or Latino | 3227 (90.8%) | 573 (91.1%) | 2654 (90.7%) | |
| Unknown | 85 (2.4%) | 13 (2.1%) | 72 (2.5%) | |
| Race | ||||
| Black | 847 (23.8%) | 142 (22.6%) | 705 (24.1%) | 0.607 |
| White | 2493 (70.1%) | 445 (70.8%) | 2048 (70.0%) | |
| Other/Unknown | 216 (6.1%) | 42 (6.7%) | 174 (5.9%) | |
| Insurance | ||||
| Medicaid/Government | 2208 (62.1%) | 387 (61.5%) | 1821 (62.2) | 0.785 |
| Private | 1296 (36.5%) | 231 (36.7%) | 1065 (36.4%) | |
| None | 52 (1.5%) | 11 (1.8%) | 41 (1.4%) | |
| Maternal Diabetes, yes | 112 (3.2%) | 30 (4.8%) | 82 (2.8%) | 0.010 |
| Maternal Hypertensive disorder, yes | 298 (8.4%) | 112 (19.4%) | 176 (6.0%) | <0.001 |
| EGA when received ACS or were evaluated for threatened preterm labor (weeks), mean (SD)* | 31.8 ± 4.5 | 31.4 ± 3.0 | 31.9 ± 4.8 | 0.01 |
| Weeks from exposure to delivery, mean (SD)* | 7.1 ± 4.6 | 7.2 ± 3.4 | 7.1 ± 4.8 | 0.62 |
| Child Characteristics, mean (SD) | ||||
| Age (years) when data was pulled, n=3556 | 6.9 ± 1.1 | 7.0 ± 1.1 | 6.9 ± 1.1 | 0.617 |
| EGA at delivery (weeks) | 38.9 ± 1.1 | 38.5 ± 1.1 | 39.0 ± 1.1 | <0.001 |
| Birth length (cm), n=3112 | 50.5 ± 3.7 | 49.9 ± 3.8 | 50.7 ± 3.6 | <0.001 |
| Head circumference at birth (cm), n=3046 | 34.0 ± 2.9 | 33.5 ± 2.7 | 34.1 ± 3.0 | <0.001 |
| Birth weight (gram), n=3213† | 3290.7 ± 496.7 | 3191.8 ± 602.5 | 3311.9 ± 467 | <0.001 |
| Small for Gestational Age (SGA) at birth, yes, n=3213† | 618 (19.2%) | 137 (21.8%) | 481 (16.4%) | 0.005 |
*
The gestational age for women that did not receive ACS at the time of evaluation for threatened preterm labor is provided. This is provided for descriptive purposes only and not considered as a covariate since it is not directly comparable between exposure groups.
†
Small for gestational age (SGA) was used rather than birth weight as primary outcomes
ACS=antenatal corticosteroids; EGA=estimated gestational age; NA=not applicable