Cesarean Delivery and Healthcare Utilization and Costs in the Offspring: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

OBJECTIVE

To examine the association between cesarean delivery and healthcare utilization and costs in offspring from birth until age 7 years.

STUDY

DESIGN

A retrospective cohort study of singleton term births in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia between 2003 and 2007 followed until age 7 years was conducted using data from the Nova Scotia Atlee Perinatal Database and administrative health data. The main exposure was mode of delivery (cesarean delivery vs vaginal birth); the outcome was healthcare utilization and costs during the first 7 years of life. Associations were modeled using multiple regression adjusting for maternal prepregnancy weight and sociodemographic factors.

RESULTS

In total, 32 464 births were included in the analysis. Compared with children born by vaginal birth, children born by cesarean delivery had more physician visits (incidence rate ratio 1.06, 95% CI 1.05-1.08) and longer hospital stays (incidence rate ratio 1.12, 95% CI 1.03-1.21) and were more likely to be high utilizers of physician visits (OR 1.23, 95% CI 1.10-1.37). Physician and hospital costs were $775 higher for children born by cesarean delivery compared with vaginal birth.

CONCLUSIONS

Cesarean delivery compared with vaginal birth is associated with small but statistically significant increases in healthcare utilization and costs during the first 7 years of life.