Evaluation of the Effects of High-Risk Pregnancy on Neonatal Mortality in a Rural Area of Iran: A Nested Case-Control Study

A pregnancy can be considered high-risk if there are conditions that put the mother or the baby at higher-than-average risk of morbidity or mortality. Neonatal mortality rate is one of the most important indices of children's health status. The present study was conducted to evaluate the effects of high-risk states on neonatal mortality.

We performed a nested case-control study in the rural areas of Kohgiluyeh and Boyerahmad province. Within the study cohort, 97 cases and 97 controls were selected by a risk-set sampling method. Data were analyzed with univariate and multivariate conditional logistic regression models.

Neonatal mortality was shown to increase significantly in high-risk pregnancies. There were no substantial differences between crude odds ratios and those adjusted for the presence of other risk factors (crude odds ratio decreased from 5.5 to an adjusted figure of 3.25 for pregnancies with one risk factor and from 5.21 to adjusted level of 4.80 for pregnancies with more than one risk factor).

High-risk pregnancies need great attention in family health and prenatal care programs, especially in remote rural areas. Within our rural health network there are potential cohorts for use in nested case-control studies, especially in the evaluation of neonatal mortality risk factors.