Paternal factors and adverse birth outcomes in Lanzhou, China

BackgroundMany maternal factors are known to be associated with adverse birth outcomes, but studies about paternal factors yielded inconsistent conclusions. The study was to assess whether paternal factors are associated with low birth weight (LBW), preterm birth (PTB), and small for gestational age (SGA).MethodsA birth cohort study was conducted in 2010-2012 at the Gansu Provincial Maternity and Child Care Hospital, the largest maternity and childcare hospital in Lanzhou, China. Paternal age, ethnicity, educational level, height, weight, smoking, and drinking were collected. Birth outcomes and pregnancy complications were extracted from the medical records.ResultsDuring the study period, 10,121 participants were included; the overall prevalence of LBW, PTB, and SGA was 7.2, 9.9, and 7.8%, respectively. Paternal higher height (OR=0.64 95%CI: 0.49, 0.83), higher weight (P for trend <0.001), and higher BMI (P for trend <0.001) could decrease the rate of LBW. Paternal higher education (OR=0.55, 95%CI: 0.43, 0.71) and higher weight (P for trend <0.001,) were associated with lower rate of PTB. Fathers who smoked more than 6 pack-years were associated with PTB (OR=1.31, 95%CI: 1.07, 1.61). Paternal BMI >23.9kg/m(2) (P for trend <0.001,) and paternal education which above college (OR=0.61, 95%CI: 0.50, 0.82) were associated with a lower rate of SGA.ConclusionPaternal low education is independently associated with PTB and SGA. Paternal heavy smoking is associated with PTB. Low paternal weight/BMI is independently associated with LBW, PTB, and SGA.

Automated summary

Overall, paternal factors such as height, weight, BMI, education level, and smoking behaviors were found to be associated with birth outcomes such as LBW, PTB, and SGA in this study.