Maternal downward neighbourhood income mobility and ensuing severe neonatal morbidity

Severe neonatal morbidity (SNM) is an indicator of neonatal well-being and quality of perinatal care and is more frequent following a severe complication during birth or in the neonatal period.

Cross-sectional data suggest that newborns of mothers residing in socioeconomically deprived neighborhoods are at higher risk of morbidity. However, no study to date has evaluated outcomes among newborns following a notable decrease in maternal neighborhood income between pregnancies, a potentially important period when preventive interventions might be offered to mothers and newborns at risk. This study assessed the association of SNM and neonatal mortality (SNM-M) with a change in the mother’s neighborhood income between 2 births.