Phoebe Troeller, “Risk Factors Associated with the National Race/Ethnicity Disparity in Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome”
Mentor: Keith Dookeran, Public Health
Poster #128

A wealth of data indicates that the national rate of Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) has rapidly increased throughout the United States over the past two decades. The national burden of NAS is highest among non-Hispanic White newborns, though few studies have examined factors that may explain the higher rates of NAS observed among White newborns compared to other racial and ethnic groups. Additionally, NAS has been found to be more prevalent in rural settings and among those enrolled in public insurance plans (Medicare and Medicaid). Regional variation and hospital bed size have also been reported as influential factors in NAS diagnoses. Our research project aims to investigate how factors associated with NAS vary across different racial and ethnic groups. We first conducted a systematic literature review using PRISMA guidelines and PubMed and Web of Science databases to analyze existing studies and identify related gaps in knowledge. Studies that discuss the occurrence of NAS due to opioid use and analyze data by race and ethnicity were included, while studies which discuss NAS due to iatrogenic causes, alcohol, cocaine, meth, or other harmful exposures were excluded. Results of the systematic literature review are pending and will be presented at the University of Wisconsin System Symposium for Undergraduate Research. Next steps will also be discussed and include examination of risk factors predictive of NAS among White, Black, and Hispanic newborns in the Kids’ Inpatient Database (KIDs) from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) for 2016 and 2019 cycle years.