Elective induction and stimulation of labor and the health of the infant

Abstract

This study examines a large heterogeneous sample to determine whether elective induction and stimulation of labor have a beneficial or deleterious effect on the health of the infant. Previous studies have reached contradictory results, partly because of the small sample sizes employed. This study uses a multiple regression analysis of New York City birth certificate data from 1968. We find a small, but significant, negative effect on the newborn of both elective induction of labor and elective stimulation of labor. When hospital care context is allowed to vary, much larger negative effects were found within municipal hospitals and to a lesser extent on service wards of voluntary hospitals. Although 1968 findings cannot be applied to 1978, the implications are clear.