Mean (SD) RSV scores during the COVID-19 era were 53.5 (12.4) in the United States and 39.0 (10.9) in the United Kingdom, compared with pre-COVID-19 scores of 40.6 (14.3) and 31.2 (10.9), respectively. We found a 239% increase in home birth-related RSVs in the United States (relative risk [RR], 3.39; 95% CI, 2.48-2.64; P < .001) and a 53% increase in the United Kingdom (RR, 1.53; 95% CI, 1.06-2.21; P = .02) (Figure). Higher RSVs were noted in the earlier months of the pandemic, and 8 of 9 (89%) and 6 of 9 (67%) of the weeks with the highest volume of searches (ie, >90th percentile RSV score) in the United States and the United Kingdom, respectively, occurred between March and May 2020.
DiscussionIn this study, we identified increased public interest in home birth during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States and the United Kingdom, most prominently during the early months of the outbreak. This increased information-seeking parallels media coverage and anecdotal reports from home birth practitioners, who have noted heightened demand for home birth services. While the largest spike in searches for home birth information occurred early in the pandemic, RSVs have persisted at levels greater than prepandemic trends. The association was more prominent in the Figure.