Presentations

Abstract

Introduction: Preterm gestation is characterized as the period of time between conception and <37 weeks until birth while full-term gestation is >37 weeks. This means patients who delivered a baby before 37 weeks are considered as preterm births while patients who delivered a baby after 37 weeks are considered full-term births. There are several factors that contribute to preterm birth such as genetics and socioeconomic status. For this study, 280 participants will participate in determining the correlation between socioeconomic status and preterm birth using five key neighborhood features: Area Deprivation Index (ADI) by neighborhood atlas, food access, The Accountable Health Communities Health-Related Social Needs (AHC HRSN) Screening tools, National Walkability Index, and maternal vulnerability index; Individuals who are Spanish speaking, delivered more than 1 baby and delivered a baby with known anomalies or genetic disorders are excluded from this study. These tools scale a pool of candidates and produce a questionnaire highlighting prominent socioeconomic aspects such as education, employment status, access to health care, transportation, and food access. The answers from the 26-question questionnaire can provide a criterion for the specific issues that impact preterm birth within Norfolk and Hampton Roads. Furthermore, this information can be used to aid gestational patients by reducing preterm birth and exposing them to resources, information, and health professionals that improve overall maternal health.

Methods: The following text describes the recruitment process for postpartum patients in this study. It begins with receiving information on patients screened via AHC HRSN tools from Atwani Rula, MD. Then proceed to the post-partum floor to engage with the list of screened individuals. Once I arrive, I introduce the names of patients to the nursing staff for permission to engage. When granted access, I enter the room to explain the study and consent form. If the patient wants to participate, they sign the consent form along with receiving a copy. Once the patient completes the questionnaire on the iPad, their answers are saved via REDCAP. In REDCAP, questionnaires are chronologically saved in the order that patients are approached; this number is recorded on top of each consent form. The patient's medical record number (MRN) is then inputted into REDCAP corresponding to their place in participation. If a patient is occupied or sleeping, they are not approached.

Results: This is an ongoing study still in the recruitment process to reach a total of 280 participants. There is currently no conclusive data nor data that can be accessed due to my limited clinical clearance.

Conclusion: The data is expected to provide investigators a range of socioeconomic factors that contribute to preterm birth. This data would be used to compare to full-term birth patients. This information focuses on the ability to influence the gestation process for many individuals of varying socioeconomic status.