Related Experiment Videos
Race, ethnicity and birth-weight: Hawaii 1983 to 1986
D H Crowell1, R I McGee, D Seto
1Department of Pediatrics, John A Burns School of Medicine, Straub Clinic & Hospital, University of Hawaii, Honolulu.
Insights
Hawaiian infants born between 33-45 weeks gestational age have significantly higher mean birth weights compared to other ethnic groups. These findings highlight the need for race/ethnic-specific infant birth weight standards.
Area of Science:
- Perinatal epidemiology
- Human growth and development
- Public health
Background:
- Infant birth weight is a critical indicator of neonatal health and long-term developmental outcomes.
- Existing birth weight standards may not accurately reflect diverse racial and ethnic populations.
- Previous studies indicated variations in infant birth weights among different ethnic groups in Hawaii.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze racial/ethnic-specific mean infant birth weights in Oahu, Hawaii.
- To confirm and extend previous findings on birth weight variations.
- To investigate the applicability of current birth weight standards for diverse populations.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of live birth-weight certificates from Oahu, Hawaii.
- Data collection spanned two periods: 1968-1972 and 1983-1986.
- Statistical comparison of mean birth weights across racial/ethnic groups and gestational age categories.
Main Results:
- Hawaiian infants exhibited significantly higher mean birth weights during the preterm period (33-36 weeks gestational age).
- Statistically significant differences in mean birth weights were also observed in term and post-term periods (37-45 weeks gestational age).
- The ranking of mean birth weights from heaviest to lightest was Caucasian, Hawaiian, Japanese, and Filipino.
Conclusions:
- Racial and ethnic variations in infant birth weights are significant and persistent in Hawaii.
- Current birth weight standards may require re-evaluation for applicability to Asian and Pacific Islander populations.
- Further research is needed to understand the implications of these birth weight differences on infant mortality, morbidity, and developmental outcomes.
Abstract:
A study of racial/ethnic-specific mean infant birth-weights reported on 1968 to 1972 live birth-weight certificates for Oahu, Hawaii is reviewed here. The 1983 to 1986 data confirm those earlier results: (a) The Hawaiian group is significantly heavier in mean birth-weights than other cohorts during the preterm period (33 to 36 weeks gestational age); (b) statistically significant differences also were present in mean birth-weights for the term and post-term periods (37 to 45 weeks gestational age); and (c) the ranking of cohorts from heaviest to lightest in mean birth-weights is Caucasian, Hawaiian, Japanese and Filipino respectively. The data raises 2 questions: (1) Which birth-weight standards are most applicable for Asian and Pacific Islanders; and (2) what are the implications of the race/ethnic-specific mean birth-weight differences relative to mortality, morbidity and developmental outcome?