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Racial disparity in low birth weight and infant mortality

James W Collins1, Richard J David

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine, Children's Memorial Hospital, 2300 Children's Plaza, Division of Neonatology, Box 45, Chicago, IL 60614, USA. jcollins@northwestern.edu

Clinics in Perinatology
|January 24, 2009
PubMed

Insights

African-American infants face worse birth outcomes in the US. This review explores racial and social factors contributing to this disadvantage and compares US infant mortality rates to other industrialized nations.

Area of Science:

  • Public Health
  • Sociology
  • Reproductive Health

Background:

  • African-American infants experience disproportionately high mortality rates in the United States.
  • Existing research often focuses on traditional risk factors, potentially overlooking broader societal influences.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine the social context of race in the US and its impact on pregnancy outcomes for African-American women.
  • To identify underlying causes for the persistent disadvantage in birth outcomes among African-American infants.
  • To compare US infant outcomes with those of other industrialized nations.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review synthesizing existing research on infant mortality and racial disparities.
  • Analysis of social determinants of health impacting pregnancy outcomes.
  • Comparative analysis of international infant mortality data.

Main Results:

  • Social and racial factors significantly contribute to the adverse pregnancy outcomes observed in African-American women.
  • The review identifies key societal issues underlying the poor birth outcomes for African-American infants.
  • US infant mortality rates are notably higher when compared to most other industrialized nations, even for white infants.

Conclusions:

  • Addressing the social context of race is crucial for improving African-American infant health outcomes.
  • Systemic societal factors, not just individual risks, drive disparities in birth outcomes.
  • The US faces significant challenges in infant mortality compared to global benchmarks.

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