Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 16, 2026

A Novel Method for Involving Women of Color at High Risk for Preterm Birth in Research Priority Setting
Published on: January 12, 2018
Racial/Ethnic Differences in Correlates of Spontaneous and Medically-Indicated Late Preterm Births among Adolescents
M Tabet1, S Jakhar1, C A Williams1
1Department of Epidemiology, College for Public Health and Social Justice, Saint Louis University, Saint Louis, Missouri.
Study Objective:
To investigate the racial/ethnic differences in the correlates of spontaneous and medically-indicated late preterm birth (LPTB), defined as deliveries between 34 0/7 and 36 6/7 weeks gestation, among US adolescents.
Design:
Population-based, retrospective cohort study.
Setting:
Births in the United States to adolescents in 2012.
Participants:
Adolescents (younger than 20 years; n = 171,573) who delivered nonanomalous singleton first births between 34 and 44 weeks of gestation.
Interventions And Main Outcome Measures:
Bivariate and multivariable logistic regression were used to evaluate the associations between maternal risk factors and spontaneous and medically-indicated LPTB, stratified according to maternal race/ethnicity.
Results:
Risk factors for spontaneous LPTB included single marital status among Asian adolescents; no insurance coverage among whites, Asian, and Hispanic adolescents; inadequate prenatal care among all racial/ethnic groups except American Indian, and adequate plus prenatal care among all races/ethnicities; prenatal smoking among whites and black adolescents; insufficient gestational weight gain among all racial/ethnic groups except American Indian; and prepregnancy underweight among white, black, and Hispanic adolescents. Risk factors for medically-indicated LPTB included inadequate prenatal care among white, black, and Hispanic adolescents, and adequate plus prenatal care among all racial/ethnic groups except Asian; insufficient gestational weight gain among white, black, and Hispanic adolescents; and prepregnancy overweight and obesity among white, black, and Hispanic adolescents.
Conclusion:
Our results show racial/ethnic differences in the correlates of spontaneous and medically-indicated LPTB among US adolescents and support the need for risk-specific interventions among different racial/ethnic groups.
Related Concept Videos
Ethnic Identity within a Larger Culture
Regression Toward the Mean
Conduct Disorder
Surveys
Stereotypes, Prejudice, and Discrimination
Psychological and Sociocultural Causes of Schizophrenia

