Evidence mapPaperPMID 41832509Full record

ArticleInternational journal for equity in health2026

The role of poverty-related social determinants in maternal and perinatal health inequities: a cross-sectional study using the eLIXIR born in South London, UK maternity-child data linkage.

Sam Burton, Tisha Dasgupta, Zenab Barry, Abigail Easter, Jane Sandall, Hannah Rayment-Jones

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Article in International journal for equity in health, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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5 · Who and what money

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6 authors.

Sam BurtonSchool of Psychology, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK. Sam.burton@kcl.ac.uk.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3823-3275
Tisha DasguptaDepartment of Women and Children's Health, King's College London. London, London, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7874-9519
Zenab BarryDepartment of Women and Children's Health, King's College London. London, London, UK.
Abigail EasterDepartment of Women and Children's Health, King's College London. London, London, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4462-6537
Jane SandallDepartment of Women and Children's Health, King's College London. London, London, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2000-743X
Hannah Rayment-JonesDepartment of Women and Children's Health, King's College London. London, London, UK. Hannah.rayment-jones@kcl.ac.uk.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3027-8025

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundEvidence on how poverty and social determinants influence adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes in the UK is limited. While ethnicity and area-level deprivation are well described, fewer studies examine the cumulative impact of poverty-related factors such as low income, employment insecurity, housing, and access to social support.

methodsWe analysed 67,308 pregnancies from the eLIXIR cohort using linked NHS records. Social determinants were defined using the WHO framework as structural (ethnicity, migration status, area deprivation) and intermediary (housing, employment, financial hardship, social support, barriers to care). The primary outcome was a composite adverse perinatal outcome. Binary logistic regression models with random intercepts accounted for repeated pregnancies, and adjusted risk ratios (aRRs) were estimated controlling for key sociodemographic and clinical factors.

resultsStructural poverty-related social determinants of health were associated with increased risk of adverse perinatal outcomes, including Black (aRR 1.50, 95% CI 1.42-1.59), Asian (aRR 1.49, 95% CI 1.39-1.59), and other minoritised ethnic backgrounds (aRR 1.50, 95% CI 1.42-1.59), residence in the most deprived areas (aRR 1.10, 95% CI 1.01-1.20), non-UK birth (aRR 1.20, 95% CI 1.15-1.25), and recent migration (aRR 1.32, 95% CI 1.14-1.53). Intermediary poverty-related social determinants of health were independently associated with increased risk beyond ethnicity and deprivation, including lack of social support (aRR 1.21, 95% CI 1.02-1.42), unemployment (aRR 1.16, 95% CI 1.10-1.23), financial hardship (aRR 1.17, 95% CI 1.01-1.35), living in social housing (aRR 1.16, 95% CI 1.09-1.24), transfer of care between hospitals (aRR 1.27, 95% CI 1.18-1.37), missed appointments (aRR 1.19, 95% CI 1.04-1.37), and unscheduled maternity care use (aRR 1.21, 95% CI 1.14-1.29). Women exposed to multiple overlapping poverty-related social determinants of health had a substantially higher likelihood of adverse perinatal outcomes (aRR 1.23, 95% CI 1.12-1.35).

conclusionsStructural and intermediary social determinants related to poverty have a substantial and cumulative impact on maternal and perinatal outcomes, independent of individual clinical risk. Addressing these inequities requires integrated, cross-sector strategies that extend beyond healthcare to the wider social conditions influencing maternal and child health. CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER: Not applicable.

Indexed as

PovertySocial Determinants of HealthAdultCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHumansLondonLow Socioeconomic StatusPregnancySocial SupportSocioeconomic Disparities in Health

Identifiers

PMID41832509
PMCPMC13101210

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