In utero exposure to economic fluctuations and birth outcomes: An analysis of the relevance of the local unemployment rate in Brazilian state capitals.

Our study shows that there is an association between in utero exposure to higher unemployment rates during the last gestational trimester and the odds of being born with VLBW among children born from mothers younger than 24 years old, with less of 11 years of education and black or brown. These results suggest that children born from women of low socioeconomic status are more vulnerable to in utero exposure to economic downturns.