The role of mediating factors in the association between social deprivation and low birth weight in Germany

This study examines whether the association between social inequalities and low birth weight (LBW) (occurring in both pre- and full-term births) in Germany can be explained by several potentially confounding factors. These include maternal age, occupational status, marital status, nationality, employment status, smoking, prenatal care, psychosocial stress, obesity, short stature, short inter-pregnancy interval, chronic conditions, and several obstetrical risk factors such as pregnancy induced hypertension. We also examined how the risk for LBW varies over time within each socioeconomic group. We analyzed routinely collected perinatal data on singletons born in the federal state of Lower Saxony, Germany, in 1990, 1995, and 1999 (n=182,444). After adjustment for all potentially confounding factors in multivariate logistic regression models, working class women, unemployed women, single mothers, and women over 39 years of age were at increased risk for pre- and full-term LBW infants. Migrant status was not related to LBW.