Objective: The purpose of this study was to compare population and customized-based birth weight centiles in their association with perinatal outcome and maternal risk factors, in nulliparous Caucasian women in a socio-economic disadvantaged region.
Methods: We analyzed perinatal outcomes in births of 302 Caucasian women of which 155 were small for gestational age (SGA) and 147 were appropriate for gestational age (AGA). Out of the overall study group, two cohort studies were designed. One was classified by population centiles as either SGA (n= 133) or AGA (n = 169) and the other was classified by customized centiles as either SGA (n = 131) or AGA (n = 172). Maternal risk factors and operative delivery rates for fetal distress, Apgar scores, need for resuscitation and neonatal nursery care given, were determined for both customized and population-based SGA babies.
Results: The customized SGA only group showed more mental health problems and special nursery in comparison with the AGA group. The population SGA only group had more smoking and mental health problems than the AGA group, but no differences on neonatal outcome measures.
Conclusion: Use of customized centiles does identify an additional group neonates with a significantly higher need for special nursery admission in a homogeneous ethnic Caucasian group.