Study links pandemic social distancing to increased neonatal mortality, preterm births

Social distancing measures that caused mothers to avoid prenatal care during the early pandemic led to higher rates of babies born early and dying within a month, an analysis of federal data shows.

Ten public health researchers published a study of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data Thursday in JAMA Network Open. They examined the records of 18,011,173 births among women aged 20 to 34 from 2016 to 2020, comparing the pre-pandemic years to the period after officials enacted public health restrictions in March 2020.

The study found “significant associations” between social distancing measures from March to December 2020 and higher rates of preterm births and neonatal mortality — including early neonatal mortality — after one to two months.

Neonatal mortality refers to infants dying within their first 28 days of life. Early neonatal deaths occur within the first seven days.

The national study is the first to measure the time-lagged impact of social distancing restrictions on infant health outcomes.

The researchers said it also offered a larger sample size than earlier studies that showed “decreases and disruptions in prenatal care during the pandemic.”

“The finding of significant associations … could possibly be due to disruptions in prenatal care and the resultant pregnancy complications that were more pronounced not immediately but after a lag period,” they wrote.

The researchers said further research is needed to examine how other restrictions affected infant health.

According to the study, social distancing measures drove early neonatal and neonatal mortality rates higher after a two-month lag period.

Researchers linked social distancing to increases in preterm babies born between 22 and 32 weeks of pregnancy after a one-month lag period.

Reached for comment, some medical experts not connected to the study pointed to concerns it raised about pandemic lockdown policies.

“The study suggests that health care disruption due to COVID-19 has ripple effects on other aspects of healthcare, including neonatal care,” said Dr. Amesh Adalja, an infectious disease specialist and senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. “Pandemic planning should always incorporate the full impact of measures on all aspects of health care and balance the increasing risk of adverse effects on nonpandemic related health conditions.”

Katy Talento, an epidemiologist who served as former President Donald Trump’s top health adviser at the White House Domestic Policy Council before the pandemic, said the findings suggest public officials restricted people’s movements without weighing the impact on their health.

“Of course, the significant stressors endured by young parents and families during the lockdowns, social isolation, job losses and overall economic collapse would have a negative impact on the bodies of mothers and their unborn babies,” Ms. Talento said Thursday.

For more information, visit The Washington Times COVID-19 resource page.