Advanced
Technical
IVT
demographic stratification
The practice of applying different cutoff values based on infant characteristics such as birth weight or gestational age.
Full Definition
Demographic stratification involves establishing distinct referral criteria and cutoff values for different subpopulations of screened infants, such as term versus preterm babies, or different birth weight categories. This approach recognizes that physiological and analytical parameters vary systematically across demographic groups, allowing optimization of screening performance for each population while reducing inappropriate referrals and maintaining sensitivity for disease detection.
Usage
Usage note: Specify the demographic variables used when describing stratification approaches.
In Context
- "Demographic stratification by gestational age reduced false positive rates for 17-OHP screening by 35%." — Research publication
- "The program implemented demographic stratification after observing significant differences in analyte distributions." — Program implementation report
Also known as
population-specific cutoffs
stratified analysis
Contrasted with
universal cutoffs
Don't confuse with
risk stratification
demographic analysis