Area level measures of socioeconomic deprivation and their impact on very preterm birth and very preterm birth outcomes: A retrospective cohort study

Objective We hypothesised that socioeconomic deprivation as determined by an area measure would be an important risk factor for preterm birth in a contemporary cohort. Methods A retrospective study was carried out across two tertiary maternity hospitals in Ireland between 2018 and 2022 representing approximately 27% of all births in Ireland. Non stillborn infants whose address could be matched to a small area deprivation index (Haase-Pratschke (HP) Index) were included in the analysis. A combination of non-parametric and parametric tests were used to examine the impact of socioeconomic deprivation. Results 80,231 births were identified from 2018 to 2022. After exclusion criteria were applied, 912 very preterm births were available for analysis. There was a significant difference in population distributions of area level socioeconomic measures of neonates born <32 weeks and those born >=32 weeks( p < 0·001). Conclusion Socioeconomic deprivation remains an important determinant of very preterm birth although has limited effect on acute neonatal outcomes.