Planned Out-of-Hospital Birth as a Risk Factor for Nonreceipt of Hepatitis B Immunization

Background:The hepatitis B vaccine (HBV) is recommended at birth to prevent perinatal hepatitis B transmission; however, many newborns still do not receive HBV. The extent to which planned out-of-hospital births, which have increased over the past decade, are associated with nonreceipt of the HBV birth dose is unknown. The purpose of this study was to determine whether a planned out-of-hospital birth location is associated with the nonreceipt of the HBV birth dose. Methods:We performed a retrospective cohort study of all births from 2007 to 2019 recorded in the Colorado birth registry. & chi;(2) analyses were used to compare maternal demographics by birth location. Univariate and multiple logistic regression were used to evaluate the association of birth location with nonreceipt of the HBV birth dose. Results:In total 1.5% of neonates born in freestanding birth centers and 0.1% of neonates born at a planned home birth received HBV compared to 76.3% of neonates born in a hospital location. After adjusting for confounders, this translated to a large increase in the odds of not receiving HBV compared to in-hospital births [freestanding birth center (aodds ratio (aOR): 172.98, 95% confidence interval (CI): 136.98-219.88); planned home birth (aOR: 502.05, 95% CI: 363.04-694.29)]. Additionally, older maternal age, White/non-Hispanic race and ethnicity, higher income, and private or no insurance were associated with nonreceipt of the HBV birth dose. Conclusions:Planned out-of-hospital birth is a risk factor for nonreceipt of the HBV birth dose. As births in these locations become more common, targeted policies and education are warranted.