Statistical analysis
We fitted logistic regression models to estimate the association between
exposure to ACS and the following neonatal outcomes: respiratory
distress, hypoglycaemia requiring parenteral therapy, admission to
high-level nursery, and receipt of intravenous antibiotics for suspected
sepsis. We assessed if the association between exposure to ACS and the
outcomes were modified by gestational age by fitting separate
interaction terms between ACS and gestational age for each outcome and
testing the interactions with likelihood ratio tests. Gestational age
modified the associations between exposure to ACS and the outcomes
(p-values from likelihood ratio tests were <0.001); the
associations are presented stratified by gestational age (grouped as
36+0- 36+6; 37+0–
37+6; and 38+0 –
38+6).
Data were analysed using Stata version 16.1 (College Station, Texas). A
p-value < 0.05 was used to determine statistical significance.