O-31 Investigating the association of drug exposure during pregnancy with birth outcomes, among mothers with medicaid

Methods: This study used 2018–2020 maternal and birth outcome data from the Florida Bureau of Vital Statistics for newborns of women who used marijuana or other substances during pregnancy. Descriptive and inferential analyses were conducted to examine the relationship between infant low birth weight for mothers who used marijuana during pregnancy compared to their counterparts who used other substances, controlling for sociodemographic characteristics, prenatal care utilization, and tobacco uset.

Results: Maternal marijuana use was not significantly associated with infant low birth weight in this population (OR=0.918; 95% CI: 0.509, 1.654; p=0.7757) compared to maternal use of substances other than marijuana. Using multi-variable logistic regression, statistically significant associations with low birth weight were observed for maternal age (OR=0.954; 95% CI: 0.922, 0.987; p=0.069), race (Black compared to White) (OR=0.518; 95% CI: 0.351, 0.763; p=0.0009), marital status (unmarried compared to married) (OR=0.528; 95% CI: 0.284–0.981; p=0.0433), total prenatal care visits (OR=0.993; 95% CI: 0.987, 0.998; p=0.0085), and tobacco use (any compared to none) (OR=0.479; 95% CI: 0.316, 0.725; p=0.0005).

Conclusion: These findings suggest that compared to mothers who used substances other than marijuana during pregnancy, marijuana use during pregnancy was not independently associated with infant low birth weight; however, prenatal care visits, maternal age, White race, and unmarried marital status were associated with low birth weight. This study demonstrates the value of using vital statistics data to examine maternal risk factors for low birth weight. The analytic approach offers a scalable model for strengthening maternal health surveillance and informing targeted interventions in under-resourced settings.