Low Birth Weight and Preterm Birth Among Arab-American Women in Ohio

There is limited evidence about prevalence and odds of adverse birth outcomes among Arab American women in the United States. We estimated the prevalence of low birth weight (LBW < 2500 g) and preterm birth (PTB < 37 completed weeks' gestation) among Arab American women in Ohio and studied the association between ethnicity, Arab American nativity (foreign or US born) and odds of LBW and PTB.

We identified Arab American women based on birth certificate data from live singleton births from 2007-2010 to 2013-2015 and a name algorithm. We compared the prevalence of LBW and PTB by ethnicity (Arab American vs. non-Hispanic White) and by nativity (foreign-born Arab American vs. US-born Arab American). Logistic regression models were used to estimate the unadjusted and adjusted effects of ethnicity and mother's nativity on study outcomes.

31,744 Arab American women (2.5% of all births in Ohio) were identified over a 7-year period. 24,129 Arab American women with complete data were included in the analysis after applying exclusion criteria. Prevalence of LBW was 5.2% (non-Hispanic White), 6.1% (Arab American), 6.4% (US-born Arab American) and 5.6% (foreign-born Arab American). Prevalence of PTB was 7.2% (non-Hispanic White), 7.0% (Arab American), 7.3% (US-born Arab American), and 5.4% (foreign-born Arab American). In adjusted models, which controlled for mother demographics, health behaviors, and pregnancy risk factors, Arab Americans had 33% higher odds of LBW (odds ratio [OR] 1.33; 95% Confidence Intervals[CI] 1.26-1.41) than non-Hispanic Whites. Foreign born Arab American women had 15% lower odds of PTB (OR 0.85; 95% CI 0.75-0.95) than US-born Arab Americans.

Our main findings were that LBW is influenced by Arab ethnicity while PTB is influenced by nativity among Arab American women. These findings may be informative for developing and implementing strategies for adverse birth outcomes for a growing US ethnic minority population.