Short-term outcomes of Jewish and Arab preterms: a population-based comparison

Objective: To compare short-term outcomes of Arabs versus Jewish infants in Israel. Methods: We used the Israel national VLBW infant database to compare adjusted mortality and major morbidities rates of Arabs versus Jewish infants delivered between January 1995 and December 2016. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to study the association of ethnicity with the odds for mortality and neonatal morbidities. Results: The study population comprised 22431 VLBW, very preterm (<32 weeks gestation) infants (27.7% Arabs and 72.3% Jewish) without congenital malformations. The Arab infants had significantly higher odds ratios for mortality, and most neonatal morbidities. Despite the significant decline in mortality over time in both ethnic groups, the difference in mortality rates remained unchanged over time. Conclusions: We found significant ethic disparity that remained unchanged over time. Some of the disparities identified in this study may be amenable to improvement through proper policies and education.