TY - JOUR
T1 - Cesarean Section and Child Development at 3 Years
T2 - A Prospective Cohort Study of First Births in Pennsylvania
AU - Sznajder, Kristin K.
AU - Teti, Douglas
AU - Hackman, Nicole M.
AU - Massare, Brittany
AU - Kjerulff, Kristen H.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.
PY - 2022/12
Y1 - 2022/12
N2 - Objectives: The rising cesarean birth rate globally has led to increasing concern about long-term unintended consequences, with particular focus on child neurodevelopmental outcomes. This study investigated the association between cesarean birth and early child neurodevelopment, measured at 3 years of age. Methods: This was a large multicenter longitudinal prospective cohort study of first-time mothers and their offspring in Pennsylvania. Mothers completed adapted versions of two measures of child development at 36- months postpartum: the modified Parents’ Evaluation of Developmental Status (M-PEDS) and a shortened Ages and Stages Questionnaire (S-ASQ). Logistic regression models were used to assess the association between mode of delivery and delayed child development, controlling for confounding variables. Results: There were 695 (29.3%) children born by cesarean delivery and 1676 (70.7) born vaginally. Children born by cesarean had increased odds of scoring as developmentally delayed on both measures of child development: the M-PEDS (8.9% cesarean and 5.1% vaginal, adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.58, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.11–2.24)) and the S-ASQ (6.3% cesarean and 3.3% vaginal, aOR = 1.66, 95% CI = 1.09–2.54). Additional factors associated with developmental delay were male sex, and the maternal factors of high pre-pregnancy body mass index, thyroid disorder, and diabetes. Conclusion: In this large prospective cohort study of first-time mothers and their offspring, cesarean delivery was found to be associated with an elevated risk of delayed child development at age 3 years. This analysis highlights the importance of continued research to understand the impact of cesarean delivery on child development.
AB - Objectives: The rising cesarean birth rate globally has led to increasing concern about long-term unintended consequences, with particular focus on child neurodevelopmental outcomes. This study investigated the association between cesarean birth and early child neurodevelopment, measured at 3 years of age. Methods: This was a large multicenter longitudinal prospective cohort study of first-time mothers and their offspring in Pennsylvania. Mothers completed adapted versions of two measures of child development at 36- months postpartum: the modified Parents’ Evaluation of Developmental Status (M-PEDS) and a shortened Ages and Stages Questionnaire (S-ASQ). Logistic regression models were used to assess the association between mode of delivery and delayed child development, controlling for confounding variables. Results: There were 695 (29.3%) children born by cesarean delivery and 1676 (70.7) born vaginally. Children born by cesarean had increased odds of scoring as developmentally delayed on both measures of child development: the M-PEDS (8.9% cesarean and 5.1% vaginal, adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.58, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.11–2.24)) and the S-ASQ (6.3% cesarean and 3.3% vaginal, aOR = 1.66, 95% CI = 1.09–2.54). Additional factors associated with developmental delay were male sex, and the maternal factors of high pre-pregnancy body mass index, thyroid disorder, and diabetes. Conclusion: In this large prospective cohort study of first-time mothers and their offspring, cesarean delivery was found to be associated with an elevated risk of delayed child development at age 3 years. This analysis highlights the importance of continued research to understand the impact of cesarean delivery on child development.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85141615669&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85141615669&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s10995-022-03525-z
DO - 10.1007/s10995-022-03525-z
M3 - Article
C2 - 36348212
AN - SCOPUS:85141615669
SN - 1092-7875
VL - 26
SP - 2526
EP - 2535
JO - Maternal and child health journal
JF - Maternal and child health journal
IS - 12
ER -