Maternal factors and low birthweight infants: a comparison of blacks with Mexican-Americans

Regional vital statistics suggest that the Mexican-American population, in spite of low socioeconomic status, has an infant mortality that is very similar to whites. American blacks of similar socioeconomic status have rates that are almost double that of whites. Part of this discrepancy can be explained by lifestyles, maternal behavior, lack of access to health care, and poor nutrition. The study reported here compared the most potent predictor of infant mortality--low birthweight--among low-income black and Mexican-American infants born at Cook County Hospital. The incidence of low birthweight was 16.6 percent for blacks and 5.9 percent for Mexican-Americans, suggesting that the latter group enjoys some sociocultural protection from the effects of urban poverty in the United States. Further efforts to reduce the infant mortality rate in the inner city should be directed at preserving those sociocultural traits that improve pregnancy outcomes and changing those social and economic factors that cause and promote unhealthy maternal behavior.