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Socioeconomic status and low birth weight: a racial comparison
1University of California, Maternal and Child Health Program, School of Public Health, Berkeley 94720.
Insights
Socioeconomic status significantly impacts infant health, increasing risks for low birth weight, teenage births, and inadequate prenatal care for both Black and White infants. A persistent 5% racial gap in low birth weight was observed across all income levels.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Sociomedical Sciences
- Maternal and Child Health
Background:
- Socioeconomic status (SES) is a critical determinant of health outcomes, particularly for infants.
- Previous research suggests disparities in infant health between racial groups, influenced by SES, teenage pregnancy, and prenatal care access.
- Understanding these complex interactions is vital for targeted public health interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the relationships between SES, low birth weight, teenage births, and prenatal care among white and black infants.
- To evaluate how residential area SES affects these key infant health indicators across racial groups.
- To identify racial differences in risk factors at the individual level.
Main Methods:
- A cohort study of 127,558 singleton births in Los Angeles County (1982-1983).
- SES was estimated using the 1979 median family income of the maternal residence's census tract.
- Analysis compared rates of teenage mothers, inadequate prenatal care, and low birth weight across SES gradients and racial groups.
Main Results:
- Deteriorating residential SES was associated with increased rates of high-risk teenage mothers, inadequate prenatal care, and low birth weight infants in both racial groups.
- The rate of increase in low birth weight infants relative to SES decline was similar for Black and White infants.
- A consistent 5% racial gap in low birth weight persisted across all income levels, indicating persistent disparities.
Conclusions:
- Residential socioeconomic status is a significant predictor of adverse infant health outcomes, including low birth weight, teenage births, and inadequate prenatal care, for both Black and White populations.
- While the impact of SES deterioration on low birth weight was similar across races, a persistent racial disparity in low birth weight exists independent of SES.
- Individual-level factors related to SES, maternal age, and prenatal care exhibit marked racial differences in risk contribution.
Abstract:
The relationships between socioeconomic status, low birth weight, births to teenagers, and inadequate prenatal care were compared among white and black infants. A cohort of 127,558 singleton births, born from 1982 to 1983 in Los Angeles County, California, was evaluated. Socioeconomic status was estimated by the 1979 median family income of the census tract of maternal residence. For both racial groups the deterioration of residential area socioeconomic status was associated with a significant increase in the percentage of high-risk teenage mothers (less than 17 years of age), in the percentage of mothers with either no, only third trimester, or unknown prenatal care, and in the percentage of low birth weight infants. The rate of increase in the percentage of low birth weight in response to the socioeconomic deterioration of residential area was similar in black and in white groups. There was, however, a racial gap of 5% low birth weight that remained constant across all income areas. At the individual level, there were marked racial differences in the relative risks imposed by one's residential median family income, age, prenatal care, and pattern of interactions.