The Effect of Age, Conception Status, and Other Health Risk Factors on Pregnancy Outcomes in the Amish Population

This study uses information from the Central Pennsylvania Women’s Health Study (CePAWHS) to analyze health risk factors for adverse pregnancy outcomes in the Amish population of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. A survey was conducted with 288 Amish woman and 2002 women from central PA. This study focuses specifically on how age (≤34 vs. ≥35), conception status (preconceptional, pregnant, interconceptional, or postconceptional), and certain health conditions and health behaviors affect the outcome of Amish pregnancies. Additionally, it compares the prevalence of risk factors for poor pregnancy outcomes in the Amish population to the population of central PA, specifically for women in the interconceptional reproductive category. Several health risk factors differ significantly depending upon the age and reproductive category of the woman. Also, Amish woman generally had better health than their central PA counterparts. These results provide valuable information on when interventions would be most useful in