Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 20, 2026

A Novel Method for Involving Women of Color at High Risk for Preterm Birth in Research Priority Setting
Published on: January 12, 2018
Mortgage discrimination and preterm birth among African American women: An exploratory study
Nana Matoba1, Suzanne Suprenant2, Kristin Rankin3
1Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, Chicago, IL, USA.
Objective:
To examine whether mortgage discrimination, or redlining, is a risk factor for preterm birth among African American women in Chicago, and how it is related to racial residential segregation.
Methods:
This was a retrospective cross-sectional study in Chicago, Illinois, 1989-1991. African American mothers (n = 33,586) in the Illinois Transgenerational Birth File were linked to the 1990 census and the 1990-1995 Home Mortgage Disclosure Act database. Logistic regression models assessed the relationship between redlining and preterm birth rates.
Results:
Preterm birth rates were higher among African American women in redlined areas (18.5%) vs. non-redlined areas (17.1%). Unadjusted and adjusted odds ratio for preterm birth among African American women in redlined neighborhoods, compared to non-redlined neighborhoods, were 1.08 (95% CI 1.03-1.14) and 1.12 (1.04-1.20), respectively. By level of racial residential segregation, preterm birth rate was elevated (18.2%) in redlined, high-proportion African American areas compared to non-redlined high-proportion African American areas (16.7%), redlined low- (16.2%) and mid-proportion (16.1%) African American areas.
Conclusions:
Mortgage discrimination may be an important measure of institutional racism to be used in understanding racial disparities in preterm birth.
Related Concept Videos
Birth Control Methods
Stereotypes, Prejudice, and Discrimination
Generalization, Discrimination, and Extinction
Generalization occurs when a behavior reinforced in one context is performed in similar situations. For instance, a student who studies diligently for calculus and receives excellent grades might apply the same study habits to psychology and history, expecting similar results. Generalization shows how learning in one setting can influence behavior in...
Case Studies
Imaging Studies I: Kidney, Ureter, and Bladder Studies
Longitudinal Studies

