Rising rate of non-receipt of vitamin K prophylaxis for newborns, January 2019 - June 2026

Abstract

BackgroundVitamin K prophylaxis is universally recommended for newborns to prevent life threatening vitamin K deficiency bleeding. Although not on the immunization schedule, vitamin K prophylaxis is often coadministered with hepatitis B birth dose and erythromycin ophthalmic ointment, and rising hesitancy around vaccines/preventive care may spill over into vitamin K administration.

MethodsWe conducted a retrospective cohort study using Truveta electronic health record data with linked mother-child dyads. Live births among mothers aged 15-49 from January 1, 2019 through June 30, 2026 were included. Vitamin K administration was defined as documentation on the birth date or following day. Logistic regression assessed sociodemographic predictors of non-receipt, and interrupted time series analysis evaluated changes after January 2026.

ResultsAmong 1,026,375 infants, 995,628 (96.97%) had documented vitamin K administration. Non-receipt increased from an average of 2.1% during 2019 -2022 to 4.3% in 2025 and 6.1% in 2026, reaching 8.10% in June 2026. Older maternal age, non-Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, Medicaid or unknown insurance, and year of delivery were associated with greater odds of non-receipt. After January 2026, there was no immediate step change, but the odds of vitamin K receipt declined an additional 10% per month (OR: 0.90; 95% CI, 0.88 -0.91).

ConclusionsVitamin K non-receipt increased over the study period and accelerated after January 2026. Because vitamin K recommendations were not changed by the January vaccine schedule, this association may reflect broader impacts to confidence in newborn preventive care. Future studies should examine causal mechanisms, parental decision-making, and associated clinical outcomes.

Influence of maternal vitamin D and calcium levels and psychoactive substance use during pregnancy on head circumference of newborns: cohort study, Rio de Janeiro, 2021-2022.
Danuza Gandra Rossi, Ana Lúcia Vollú, Ísis Midlej Carneiro Oliveira +5
Epidemiologia e servicos de saude : revista do Sistema Unico de Saude do Brasil11 May 2026Peer-reviewedCC BYFull textObstetrics, gynaecology & paediatricsEurope PMC
Trimester-specific associations of maternal vitamin D metabolic markers with risks of small vulnerable newborns: a prospective birth cohort study.
Shanshan Wang, Yonghua Xiao, Hongjuan Liu +10
BMC medicine1 Jul 2026Peer-reviewedCC BY-NC-NDFull textGeneral medicineEurope PMCDOAJ
Overdose-related communication in Connecticut: reported receipt, perceived utility, and responses among overdose prevention and response professionals
A. Ram, F. L. Altice
medRxiv1 Oct 2026PreprintAll rights reservedFull textEpidemiology & public healthmedRxiv
Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Receipt of Behavioral Treatment Among Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder in the United States
Andrew Han, Narae Lee
Cureus16 Oct 2026Peer-reviewedCC BYFull textGeneral medicineEurope PMC
Receipt of guideline-concordant prenatal care among Medicaid-insured women with disabilities in Texas
A. Dev, A. Schaefer, A. Douches +4
medRxiv25 Oct 2026PreprintAll rights reservedFull textObstetrics, gynaecology & paediatricsmedRxiv

Cite

BibTeX RIS

BibTeX

@misc{masters2026rising,
  title = {{Rising rate of non-receipt of vitamin K prophylaxis for newborns, January 2019 - June 2026}},
  author = {N. B. Masters and K. G. Farrar and E. Holler and J. M. Lancaster},
  howpublished = {medRxiv},
  year = {2026},
  month = aug,
  doi = {10.64898/2026.08.31.26361837},
  url = {https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.08.31.26361837v1},
  note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}

RIS

TY  - UNPB
TI  - Rising rate of non-receipt of vitamin K prophylaxis for newborns, January 2019 - June 2026
AU  - N. B. Masters
AU  - K. G. Farrar
AU  - E. Holler
AU  - J. M. Lancaster
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/31
PB  - medRxiv
DO  - 10.64898/2026.08.31.26361837
UR  - https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.08.31.26361837v1
AB  - BackgroundVitamin K prophylaxis is universally recommended for newborns to prevent life threatening vitamin K deficiency bleeding. Although not on the immunization schedule, vitamin K prophylaxis is often coadministered with hepatitis B birth dose and erythromycin ophthalmic ointment, and rising hesitancy around vaccines/preventive care may spill over into vitamin K administration.  MethodsWe conducted a retrospective cohort study using Truveta electronic health record data with linked mother-child dyads. Live births among mothers aged 15-49 from January 1, 2019 through June 30, 2026 were included. Vitamin K administration was defined as documentation on the birth date or following day. Logistic regression assessed sociodemographic predictors of non-receipt, and interrupted time series analysis evaluated changes after January 2026.  ResultsAmong 1,026,375 infants, 995,628 (96.97%) had documented vitamin K administration. Non-receipt increased from an average of 2.1% during 2019 -2022 to 4.3% in 2025 and 6.1% in 2026, reaching 8.10% in June 2026. Older maternal age, non-Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, Medicaid or unknown insurance, and year of delivery were associated with greater odds of non-receipt. After January 2026, there was no immediate step change, but the odds of vitamin K receipt declined an additional 10% per month (OR: 0.90; 95% CI, 0.88 -0.91).  ConclusionsVitamin K non-receipt increased over the study period and accelerated after January 2026. Because vitamin K recommendations were not changed by the January vaccine schedule, this association may reflect broader impacts to confidence in newborn preventive care. Future studies should examine causal mechanisms, parental decision-making, and associated clinical outcomes.
ER  -

Abstract

Related

Cite