科研之友
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摘要
A hundred years ago, the vast majority of births in the United States took place at home. In the past 10 decades, there has been a major shift in childbearing patterns. By the 1940s, less than half of deliveries occurred at home. The percentage of home deliveries by 1969 declined to about 1%, and the rates stabilized in the next 2 decades. Following a gradual decline from 1990 to 2004, the percentage of births occurring at home increased from 0.56% in 2004 to 0.67% in 2008, which represents an increase of 20%. The reasons for this increase are unclear.
The primary aim of this report was to investigate the factors associated with the increase in percentage of home births from 2004 to 2008. Data were obtained from birth certificates on live births registered in the United States; maternal demographic and medical characteristics were analyzed.
There were a total of 28,357 home births in the United States in 2008. The rise in percentage of home births occurring from 2004 to 2008 was associated with a 28% increase (from 0.80% to 1.02%) in delivery at home among non-Hispanic white women who account for 83% of home births. The rest of the racial/ethnic subgroups were either unchanged or minimally changed during the study years. Moreover, an improved risk profile for women delivering at home over the 4 years of the study was demonstrated by the finding of substantial decreases in the percentage of home births of infants born either preterm or at low birth weight and those born to teenage and unwed mothers. From 2004 to 2008, statistically significant increases occurred in the percentage of home births in 27 states; declines were noted in only 4 states.
These findings suggest that the 20% increase in United States home births from 2004 to 2008 may be associated with an improved risk profile in women delivering at home. The authors note that increasing numbers of home births are planned as more women opt for a home birth.
- 出版日期2012-1
