The association between postpartum care utilization and child health care expenses in the Netherlands

Abstract Background Postpartum care, including health monitoring, breastfeeding support, and emotional assistance, is essential for mothers and newborns in the period after birth. Prior research has demonstrated that the utilization of postpartum care varies and is influenced by socioeconomic status as well as maternal health conditions. Building upon these findings, the present study aims to investigate the relationship between postpartum care utilization, child healthcare use, and healthcare expenses up to the age of five. Methods The data infrastructure DIAPER was utilized for data of delivered women and liveborn children in the Netherlands. Dutch women (n = 172,395) who gave birth to a liveborn in 2016, along with their children born in the same year, were included. To examine the association between postpartum care utilization and healthcare expenses as well as medical specialist care and medication use from 2017 to 2021, weighted Mann-Whitney U tests and logistic regression models were used. Results Descriptive analyses showed that mothers with lowers socioeconomic and non-Dutch backgrounds were less likely to utilize postpartum care. Children who did not receive postpartum care had higher total healthcare expenses across all years studied. The use of medical specialist care was significantly higher among children who did not receive postpartum care, with Odds Ratios (OR) ranging from 1.4 [95% CI 1.2-1.5] to 1.6 [95% CI 1.4-1.8], over the study period. Conclusions Children who did not receive postpartum care had higher healthcare expenses and utilized more medical specialist care during their first five years of life compared to children who received such care. Although these differences diminished over time, they remained statistically significant, underscoring the important role of postpartum care in early identification of health issues and implementation of preventive measures. Key messages • Social and cultural differences influence the utilization of postpartum care in the Netherlands. • Children without postpartum care have higher healthcare costs and more medical specialist care in their first five years of life compared to those who received postpartum care after birth.