This national study will determine the effect of the available level of technology at the hospital of delivery on survival and subsequent health status of children at age three. The national study incorporates oversamples of very low birth weight infants as well as fetal and infant deaths. Survival time of deliveries will be analyzed by age at death for infants or gestational age for a fetal death, symptoms at presentation, use of interventions, and level of technological support available at the delivery hospital while accounting for gestational age and other risk factors. Health status differences at age three will be obtained from measures included in a 1991 longitudinal follow-up of a nationally representative survey of all children born in 1988 performed by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). The health outcome measures will include development, overall health status, chronic conditions, recent illness, use of apnea monitors and ear tubes, vitamin/mineral use, and use of home treatments. Hospital and physician records from the perinatal and pediatric period are included in the analysis.
