Annals of epidemiology
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Annals of epidemiology · Feb 2014
Cold ambient temperature in utero and birth outcomes in Uppsala, Sweden, 1915-1929.
Although the literature reports adverse birth outcomes following ambient heat, less work focuses on cold. We, moreover, know of no studies of cold that examine stillbirth. We tested the relation between cold ambient temperature during pregnancy in Sweden and four outcomes: stillbirth, preterm, birth weight for gestational age, and birth length. We examined births from 1915 to 1929 in Uppsala, Sweden, which-unlike most societies today-experienced substandard indoor-heating and fewer amenities to provide shelter from cold. ⋯ In historical Sweden, cold temperatures during pregnancy increased stillbirth and preterm risk and reduced birth length among live births.