More complicated births in deprived areas, new study shows

Living conditions in 20 of the Netherlands’ most deprived neighbourhoods are posing a significant risk to the health of babies in utero, a landmark study by Erasmus MC teaching hospital shows.

The study, based on over 1.1 million pregnancies in the Netherlands, showed that more babies were stillborn, died shortly after being born, or were premature, when the mother had been exposed to stress factors. These included money worries, mold and excessive heat at home, and the level of criminality in the neighbourhood, researchers found.

“Multiple problems result in toxic stress, which affects brain and organ development,” Eric Steegers, researcher and head of the Erasmus MC gynaecology department, told the NRC.

The 20 neighbourhoods classified as “vulnerable” in the Netherlands include Utrecht Overvecht, Tilburg Noord West, Amsterdam Zuidoost and Nieuw-West. A national programme to improve liveability in these areas was set up in 2022.

The area with the highest health risk to babies is Amsterdam Zuidoost. Eight in 1,000 babies born there have a low birth weight or are born prematurely, twice as many as babies in other areas. Some 7% are born prematurely compared to 5% in the rest of Amsterdam and the Netherlands. One in five babies is too light, compared to one in 10 in non-deprived areas.

According to data from statistics agency CBS, people in deprived neighbourhoods are twice as likely to experience unsafe situations. They also feel less healthy and use more medication for mental problems. All 20 areas in the study have higher figures for complications surrounding births.

New mothers in socially and economically deprived areas are also not always getting the maternity care they are entitled to, the health inspectorate said in a report published in 2025.

The researchers recommend that ministries, local councils, businesses, banks and knowledge institutes join forces to improve the chances of newborns in the areas.

“Every doctor should pay attention to the social circumstances and not only focus on the medical side of things. You are responsible for the treatment of the problem and its cause. That should be part of the quality of care,” Steegers told the paper.