Stillbirth risk with social class and deprivation: no evidence for increasing inequality

Dummer, T.J.B.; Dickinson, H.O.; Pearce, M.S.; Charlton, M.E.; Parker, L.

« Previous Next »Journal of Clinical Epidemiology
Volume 53, Issue 2 , Pages 147-155, February 2000

Stillbirth risk with social class and deprivation:

no evidence for increasing inequality

T.J.B. Dummer
- North of England Children's Cancer Research Unit, Department of Child Health, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, Royal Victoria Infirmary, Queen Victoria Road, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 4LP, England, UK
H.O. Dickinson
- North of England Children's Cancer Research Unit, Department of Child Health, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, Royal Victoria Infirmary, Queen Victoria Road, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 4LP, England, UK
- Corresponding author. Tel.: 0191 202 3035; fax: 0191 202 3060.(H.O. Dickinson)
M.S. Pearce
- North of England Children's Cancer Research Unit, Department of Child Health, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, Royal Victoria Infirmary, Queen Victoria Road, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 4LP, England, UK
M.E. Charlton
- Department of Geography, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, Daysh Building, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 7RU, England, UK
L. Parker
- North of England Children's Cancer Research Unit, Department of Child Health, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, Royal Victoria Infirmary, Queen Victoria Road, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 4LP, England, UK

Received 2 December 1998; received in revised form 2 August 1999; accepted 23 August 1999.

Abstract

The objective of this study was to determine whether inequality in stillbirth risk between social strata has changed over time. Subjects were all 288,869 births in Cumbria, northwest England, 1950–1993 and all 8,039,269 births in England and Wales, 1981–1992. Social class of Cumbrian babies was ascertained from birth registrations. Community deprivation scores were calculated from census data for (i) enumeration districts in Cumbria and (ii) county districts in England and Wales. The relative index of inequality was used to measure inequality of stillbirth risk between social strata. Results indicate inequality in stillbirth risk in Cumbria has fallen significantly since 1966 (P ⩽ 0.02) and was not evident in more recent time periods. In England and Wales, there was significant inequality in stillbirth risk in all time periods and no evidence that this has changed over time. Inequality in stillbirth risk has not increased and in some areas has attenuated in recent years.

Keywords: Stillbirth, Deprivation, Social class, Inequality, Cohort study, Epidemiology