Multiple-race mothers on the California birth certificate, 2000

Several data systems are beginning to allow respondents to report more than one race. Implications of multiple race reporting for the tabulation of race-specific birth characteristics are largely unknown. This analysis reports selected demographic characteristics and birth outcomes for multiple-race mothers, using California birth certificate data for 2000.

Descriptive study of birth records.

Data were drawn from 530,305 electronically registered births. Demographics and birth outcomes were analyzed by race of mother for six multiple-race/ethnic groups with >300 births.

1.7% of mothers reported more than one race on the birth certificate. The most common multiple-race group reported was non-Hispanic Asian/White, followed by Hispanic/American Indian or Alaska Native/White. Characteristics varied widely among multiple-race subgroups, as well as between multiple-race groups and their single-race counterparts. For example, among multiple-race mothers, the proportion of births to teenage mothers was lowest among non-Hispanic Asian/White mothers (9%); this was significantly higher than percentages for non-Hispanic Asian or non-Hispanic White mothers (4% and 6%, respectively).

Understanding the influence of multiple-race reporting on trends and comparisons in birth outcomes will be a challenge for public health researchers.