Association of US state policy orientation with adverse birth outcomes: a longitudinal analysis.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The current US context is marked by extreme right-left partisanship, which means that state policies tend to bundle together and are not experienced in isolation. While prior work has leveraged abrupt shifts in single policies to examine the effects of state policy on birth outcomes, we examined a holistic measure that captures political polarisation.

Methods

Data were drawn from national birth certificates for 2003-2017 (N=56 770 470). Outcomes included preterm birth, low birth weight, small-for-gestational age and other perinatal health measures. The primary exposure was a composite index of right-left state policy orientation, generated from historical data on 135 state policies. Multivariable regressions were used to estimate the association between state poli

SUBMITTER: Riley AR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8257762 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature