Does participation in a nurse visitation programme reduce the frequency of adverse perinatal outcomes in first-time mothers?
Children First (C1), a nurse home visitation programme for first-time mothers, was implemented statewide in Oklahoma in mid-1997. The objective of this study was to compare the risks of low (< 2500 g) and very low birthweight (< 1500 g), preterm (< 37 weeks) and very preterm (< 30 weeks) deliveries and infant mortality between mothers participating and not participating in C1. All 239,466 Oklahoma birth certificates were reviewed. The C1 and birth certificate databases were matched to identify C1 participants. Mother's age at delivery, education level, race, marital status, prior pregnancy loss or pregnancy risk factors, birthweight and gestational age at delivery were measured from the birth certificates. Death certificates were matched to the birth certificates to identify infant deaths. A Bayesian multivariable logistic regression was used to analyse the data. Among single mothers without pregnancy risk factors, the risks of all study outcomes were lower for participants in C1: adju
