文章基本信息

标题：Paternal Age as a Risk Factor for Low Birthweight
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作者：Nancy E. Reichman ; Julien O. Teitler
期刊名称：American journal of public health
印刷版ISSN：0090-0036
出版年度：2006
卷号：96
期号：5
页码：862-866
DOI：10.2105/AJPH.2005.066324
语种：English
出版社：American Public Health Association
摘要：Objectives. We examined associations between paternal age and low birth-weight in the US urban population. Methods. Using a population-based sample of 4621 births, we used multiple logistic regression analysis to estimate associations between paternal age and low birthweight, controlling for maternal age, other demographic factors, and the child’s gender. Results. When the child’s gender and the mother’s race/ethnicity, birthplace, parity, marital status, and health insurance type were controlled, teenaged fathers were 20% less likely and fathers older than 34 years were 90% more likely than fathers aged 20 to 34 years to have low-birthweight babies. The associations were significant when maternal age was also controlled. No racial/ethnic differences in associations between paternal age and low birthweight were found. Conclusions. We identified paternal age as an independent risk factor for low birthweight in the US urban population, suggesting that more attention needs to be paid to paternal influences on birth outcomes and to the interactive effects of urban environments and individual risk factors on health. Low birthweight is a leading cause of infant mortality in the United States and can lead to debilitating and costly long-term health problems for infants who survive. Low birthweight is associated with cerebral palsy, deafness, blindness, epilepsy, chronic lung disease, learning disabilities, and attention deficit disorder. 1 ^, 2 The annual cost of low birthweight in 1988 was estimated at $5.5 to $6 billion 3 ; an updated estimate probably would be much higher. Generally, teenaged mothers and older mothers are at higher risk of delivering low-birthweight babies than mothers aged 20 to 34 years. 4 However, for Black or disadvantaged mothers, the risk of low birthweight has been found to increase with age even at the low end of the age distribution. This phenomenon has been attributed to “weathering”—a premature deterioration of health among individuals who are exposed to harsh living conditions. 5 ^, 6 Paternal age has received less attention than maternal age in studies of low birth-weight, even though advanced paternal age has been linked to sperm abnormalities and gene mutations, 7 ^– 9 preeclampsia, 10 miscarriage, 11 and some birth defects. 12 ^– 15 One recent study found a positive association between paternal age and preterm birth in Denmark. 16 The few previous studies of the association between paternal age and birth-weight in the United States or Canada found no evidence of a detrimental effect of increased paternal age. 17 ^– 20 However, those studies focused on national, state, or low-risk populations. None focused on urban or disadvantaged populations at high risk of weathering. 21 Additionally, they relied on birth certificate data, which in the United States have high rates of missing data on paternal age. 4 This is the first study to investigate the association between paternal age and low birth-weight in an urban population. Using a national sample of urban births between 1998 and 2000, we compared associations between paternal age and low birthweight with associations between maternal age and low birthweight. We also explored racial/ethnic differences in the associations between low birthweight and parents’ ages.