Cost-effectiveness of Antenatal Corticosteroid Therapy vs No Therapy in Women at Risk of Late Preterm Delivery: A Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Administration of corticosteroids to women at high risk for delivery in the late preterm period (34-36 weeks' gestation) improves short-term neonatal outcomes. The cost implications of this intervention are not known. Objective: To compare the cost-effectiveness of treatment with antenatal corticosteroids with no treatment for women at risk for late preterm delivery. Design, Setting, and Participants: This secondary analysis of the Antenatal Late Preterm Steroids trial, a multicenter randomized clinical trial of antenatal corticosteroids vs placebo in women at risk for late preterm delivery conducted from October 30, 2010, to February 27, 2015. took a third-party payer perspective. Maternal costs were based on Medicaid rates and included those of betamethasone, as well as the outpatient visits or inpatient stay required to administer betamethasone. All direct medical costs for newborn care were included. For infants admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit, comprehensive daily costs were stratified by the acuity of respiratory illness. For infants admitted to the regular newborn nursery, nationally representative cost estimates from the literature were used. Effectiveness was measured as the proportion of infants without the primary outcome of the study: a composite of treatment in the first 72 hours of continuous positive airway pressure or high-flow nasal cannula for 2 hours or more, supplemental oxygen with a fraction of inspired oxygen of 30% or more for 4 hours or more, and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation or mechanical ventilation. This secondary analysis was initially started in June 2016 and revision of the analysis began in May 2017. Exposures: Betamethasone treatment. Main Outcomes and Measures: Incremental cost-effectiveness ratio. Results: Costs were determined for 1426 mother-infant pairs in the betamethasone group (mean [SD] maternal age, 28.6 [6.3] years; 827 [58.0%] white) and 1395 mother-infant pairs in the placebo group (mean [SD] maternal age, 27.9 [6.2] years; 794 [56.9%] white). Treatment with betamethasone was associated with a total mean (SD) woman-infant-pair cost of $4681 ($5798), which was significantly less than the mean (SD) amount of $5379 ($8422) for women and infants in the placebo group (difference, $698; 95% CI, $186-$1257; P = .02). The Antenatal Late Preterm Steroids trial determined that betamethasone use is effective: respiratory morbidity decreased by 2.9% (95% CI, -0.5% to -5.4%). Thus, the cost-effectiveness ratio was -$23 986 per case of respiratory morbidity averted. Inspection of the bootstrap replications confirmed that treatment was the dominant strategy in 5000 samples (98.8%). Sensitivity analyses showed that these results held under most assumptions. Conclusions and Relevance: The findings suggest that antenatal betamethasone treatment is associated with a statistically significant decrease in health care costs and with improved outcomes; thus, this treatment may be an economically desirable strategy.

Racial Disparities in Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes and Psychosocial Stress.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the relationships between self-reported psychosocial stress and preterm birth, hypertensive disease of pregnancy, and small-for-gestational-age (SGA) birth and to assess the extent to which these relationships account for racial and ethnic disparities in these adverse outcomes. METHODS: Self-reported measures of psychosocial stress (perceived stress, depression, racism, anxiety, resilience, and social support) were collected during pregnancy among a racially and ethnically diverse cohort of women enrolled in a prospective observational study of nulliparous women with singleton pregnancies, from eight clinical sites across the United States, between October 2010 and May 2014. The associations of preterm birth, hypertensive disease of pregnancy, and SGA birth with the self-reported measures of psychosocial stress as well as with race and ethnicity were evaluated. RESULTS: The study included 9,470 women (60.4% non-Hispanic white, 13.8% non-Hispanic black, 16.7% Hispanic, 4.0% Asian, and 5.0% other). Non-Hispanic black women were significantly more likely to experience any preterm birth, hypertensive disease of pregnancy, and SGA birth than were non-Hispanic white women (12.2% vs 8.0%, 16.7% vs 13.4%, and 17.2% vs 8.6%, respectively; P<.05 for all). After adjusting for potentially confounding factors, including the six different psychosocial factors singly and in combination, non-Hispanic black women continued to be at greater risk of any preterm birth and SGA birth compared with non-Hispanic white women. CONCLUSION: Among a large and geographically diverse cohort of nulliparous women with singleton gestations, non-Hispanic black women are most likely to experience preterm birth, hypertensive disease of pregnancy, and SGA birth. These disparities were not materially altered for preterm birth or SGA birth by adjustment for demographic differences and did not appear to be explained by differences in self-reported psychosocial factors.

Racial or Ethnic and Socioeconomic Inequalities in Adherence to National Dietary Guidance in a Large Cohort of US Pregnant Women.

BACKGROUND: The significance of periconceptional nutrition for optimizing offspring and maternal health and reducing social inequalities warrants greater understanding of diet quality among US women. OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to evaluate racial or ethnic and education inequalities in periconceptional diet quality and sources of energy and micronutrients. DESIGN: Cross-sectional analysis of data from the Nulliparous Pregnancy Outcomes Study: Monitoring Mothers-to-Be cohort. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: Nulliparous women (N=7,511) were enrolled across eight US medical centers from 2010 to 2013. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: A semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire assessing usual dietary intake during the 3 months around conception was self-administered during the first trimester. Diet quality, measured using the Healthy Eating Index-2010 (HEI-2010), and sources of energy and micronutrients were the outcomes. STATISTICAL ANALYSES: Differences in diet quality were tested across maternal racial or ethnic and education groups using F tests associated with analysis of variance and χ2 tests. RESULTS: HEI-2010 score increased with higher education, but the increase among non-Hispanic black women was smaller than among non-Hispanic whites and Hispanics (interaction P value <0.0001). For all groups, average scores for HEI-2010 components were below recommendations. Top sources of energy were sugar-sweetened beverages, pasta dishes, and grain desserts, but sources varied by race or ethnicity and education. Approximately 34% of energy consumed was from empty calories (the sum of energy from added sugars, solid fats, and alcohol beyond moderate levels). The primary sources of iron, folate, and vitamin C were juices and enriched breads. CONCLUSIONS: Diet quality is suboptimal around conception, particularly among women who are non-Hispanic black, Hispanic, or who had less than a college degree. Diet quality could be improved by substituting intakes of refined grains and foods empty in calories with vegetables, peas and beans (legumes), seafood, and whole grains.

Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Measures of Self-reported Psychosocial States and Traits during Pregnancy.

Background The aim of this study was to determine whether racial/ethnic differences in psychosocial measures, independent of economic status, exist among a large population of pregnant nulliparas. Methods Between October 2010 and September 2013, nulliparous women at eight U.S. medical centers were followed longitudinally during pregnancy and completed validated instruments to quantify several psychosocial domains: Cohen Perceived Stress Scale, trait subscale of the Spielberger Anxiety Inventory, Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, Krieger Racism Scale, Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, and the Pregnancy Experience Scale. Scores were stratified and compared by self-reported race, ethnicity, and income. Results Complete data were available for 8,128 of the 10,038 women enrolled in the study. For all measures, race and ethnicity were significantly associated (p < 0.001) with survey scores. Non-Hispanic black (NHB) women were most likely to score in the most unfavorable category for all measures, with the exception of the Pregnancy Experience Scale. The magnitude of these differences did not differ by income status (interaction, p > 0.05) except on the Krieger racism survey and the Edinburgh depression survey, which were exacerbated among NHB women with higher income (interaction, p < 0.001). Conclusion Significant racial/ethnic disparities, independent of income status, exist in psychosocial measures during pregnancy.

Gestational age-specific risks vs benefits of multicourse antenatal corticosteroids for preterm labor.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to estimate a gestational age threshold at which the benefits of treatment with weekly courses of antenatal corticosteroids (ACS) during preterm labor outweigh the risks. STUDY DESIGN: Risk-benefit ratios by gestational age were determined with the use of a Markov microsimulation decision-analysis model with a 1-week cycle length. Single course and multiple (weekly to a maximum of 4) courses of ACS by gestational age of entry (23 weeks to 31 weeks 6 days' gestation) were compared. Benefits were composite events (respiratory distress syndrome, chronic lung disease, severe intraventricular hemorrhage, periventricular leukomalacia, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, or stillbirth) averted. Risks were small head circumference and small for gestational age. RESULTS: More composite events are averted (benefits) than risks acquired (ratio, 6:1) when multiple courses of ACS are initiated at 26 weeks' gestation. When multiple courses of ACS are initiated at 29 weeks' gestation, the risk-benefit ratio is 1. Beyond 29 weeks, there is a suggestion of more risk than benefit. CONCLUSION: The model suggests that multiple courses of ACS that are initiated at <29 weeks' gestation may have increased benefit compared with risks. Further analyses are needed to determine the long-term clinical significance of these findings.

Identification, assessment and management of fetal compromise.

The main goals of fetal surveillance are to avoid fetal death and to recognize the fetus that will benefit from early intervention with resuscitation or delivery. Surveillance can occur in the antepartum or intrapartum period. Continuous fetal heart rate monitoring is the most common form of surveillance in the intrapartum period. Several techniques are used in the antepartum period, including nonstress test, biophysical profile, and contraction stress test. Multiple techniques are used once distress is noted in the fetus, with the ultimate resuscitation effort being delivery.