Pregnancy outcomes among Whites and Filipinos: A paradoxical birth weight-neonatal mortality relationship

Evidence from the Philippines suggests that, compared to Whites, infants born to Filipino women are more likely to be low birth weight. A paucity of information is available regarding birth outcomes of U.S.-born Filipinos. Using 1979-1987 Hawaii vital record data on single live births to resident mothers, this study compares the maternal characteristics and pregnancy outcomes of White and Filipino mothers, Filipino mothers were significantly more likely to be <18 years of age and single, and have lower educational attainment and less adequate utilization of prenatal care. Significantly higher percentages of very preterm, preterm, very low birth weight, low birth weight, and small for gestational age infants were found for Filipinos. The birth weight-specific neonatal mortality rates for Filipinos compared favorably to Whites except at the high end of the birth weight distribution. After taking into account maternal sociodemographic risk and prenatal care factors in a logistic regression, a significant ethnic difference in low birth weight persisted but was not found for neonatal mortality. These data may suggest that similar neonatal mortality rates among ethnic groups may be possible in the face of persistent birth weight distribution differences and add to the growing evidence that a single standard of low birth weight may be inappropriate as an universal indicator of health status risk in a multi-ethnic population. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.