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Time of birth and additional support need at school age: national cohort study of 865,409 children

Journal of Perinatology volume 43, pages 523–525 (2023)Cite this article

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Multiple studies have identified birth outside regular working hours as an independent risk factor for neonatal death [1, 2]. An increased incidence of birth asphyxia has been implicated as the most likely causal mechanism [1]. Although birth asphyxia can cause adverse neurodevelopmental and educational outcomes among survivors, long-term implications of birth outside regular working hours are unknown. In a large national cohort of singleton births in Scotland, we studied whether birth during the evening/night or weekend was independently associated with additional support need (ASN) at school age.

We used the community health index unique identifier to link individual-level birth and death records from the General Register Office for Scotland to maternity data from the Scottish Morbidity Record-02 for all singleton births in Scotland (1988–2009). These records were then linked to national school census data from regular and special public schools (ScotXEd; 2006–2013) for all children aged 4–18 years. We excluded births via elective caesarean section, which typically occur during regular hours and carry a relatively low risk of birth asphyxia, and births with unknown gestational age or with gestational age <24 or ≥43 weeks.

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Data access requests need to be directed at National Health Service Scotland.

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Acknowledgements

We are thankful to the Chief Scientist Office for Scotland for funding the study.

Funding

Supported by the Chief Scientist Office for Scotland (grant number CZH/4/1082).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Neonatology, Department of Paediatrics, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, and Department of Public Health, Erasmus MC Sophia Children’s Hospital, University Medical Centre Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands

    Jasper V. Been

  2. Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK

    Gordon C. Smith

  3. Institute of Health and Wellbeing, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK

    Sally-Ann Cooper, Jill P. Pell & Daniel F. Mackay

Authors
  1. Jasper V. Been
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  2. Gordon C. Smith
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  3. Sally-Ann Cooper
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  4. Jill P. Pell
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  5. Daniel F. Mackay
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Contributions

JVB conceptualised and designed the study, acquired funding, performed analyses, interpreted the findings, and wrote the initial draft manuscript. GCS, SAC, and JPP designed the study, interpreted the findings, and reviewed and revised the manuscript. DFM conceptualised and designed the study, acquired funding, performed analyses, interpreted the findings, and reviewed and revised the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jasper V. Been.

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Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

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The study was approved by the Privacy Advisory Committee of the National Health Service Scotland Public Benefit and Privacy Panel for Health and Social Care.

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Been, J.V., Smith, G.C., Cooper, SA. et al. Time of birth and additional support need at school age: national cohort study of 865,409 children. J Perinatol 43, 523–525 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41372-022-01524-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41372-022-01524-0

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