Research
My dissertation evaluates socio-cultural risk factors for breech presentation. Breech presentation is an enigmatic poor pregnancy outcome in that it occurs at higher rates in White women and in women of higher socio-economic strata. I am comparing the life and pregnancy experiences of women who had a head first baby with those of women who had a breech baby. These women complete an in-depth interview, a personality test, and a survey. Women are compensated for participating. I am also analyzing 12 years of secondary data.
If you have had a head first baby or a breech baby in the past 12 months go to Breech Baby Study to see if you are eligible to participate.
In this section the breech literature will be critiqued each month. Old critiques will be archived for your reference. I will critique the articles for their methodological integrity, the nature of the assumptions upon which the research is based, the significance of the unasked questions, and the practical implications of the results.
I chose to begin with a critique of the most important breech intervention trial to date: The Term Breech Trial. This was a multi-site, international trial that evaluated the outcome for vaginal breech birth vs. cesarean breech birth.
If you would prefer a print version of the critique, you can download a PDF file.