Children Born to Mothers Who Used Opioids During Pregnancy Miss Out on Routine Health Check-Ups
Children who were exposed to opioids before birth are less likely to attend routine health check-ups in their first two years of life and more likely to use emergency departments throughout childhood, according to new Canadian research published in the International Journal of Population Data Science (IJPDS).
The opioid crisis is ongoing and has affected many families in Canada and internationally. Opioid use in pregnancy may lead to particular risks for newborns, including withdrawal symptoms, premature birth, and longer-term health and developmental difficulties. Despite these risks, the findings suggest many of these children are less likely to receive the recommended routine preventive care visits.
Researchers tracked health records for 1.3 million children born in Ontario between 2007 and 2018, comparing those with pre-natal opioid exposure to those with no recorded exposure. They found that children exposed to opioids in utero were significantly less likely to attend recommended “well-child” visits in their first years, which are intended to monitor growth, development, and overall wellbeing, including an important developmental screening at 18 months of age.
In addition, these children were more likely to access emergency department care throughout childhood and adolescence, suggesting a shift away from preventive services towards more acute, crisis-driven healthcare use. The pattern was found to persist over time, continuing into teenage years rather than diminishing as children grew older.
The researchers suggested several factors may help interpret this finding. Mothers who use opioids in pregnancy often face barriers to accessing healthcare, including stigma associated with substance use, fear of involvement with child protection services, and reduced access to family doctors and mental health services. Social and economic hardship also plays an important role, with children in the opioid exposed group more likely to be from disadvantaged neighbourhoods and low-income families.
The research was conducted by Arum Han as part of her MSc in Epidemiology at the University of Ottawa’s School of Epidemiology and Public Health. Senior researcher Dr. Daniel Corsi from the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute commented: “These findings highlight an important gap in care for vulnerable children. Well-child visits are a cornerstone for family support and to catch and identify problems early. We need to continue outreach through community-based approaches to ensure these children and their families have timely access to preventive care visits.”
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Arum Han, MSc, University of Ottawa, and Daniel Corsi, PhD University of Ottawa and CHEO Research Institute