Related Experiment Videos
Infant mortality differences between whites and African Americans: the effect of maternal education
R Din-Dzietham1, I Hertz-Picciotto
1Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA.
Objectives:
Despite decreasing infant mortality in North Carolina, the gap between African Americans and Whites persists. This study examined how racial differences in infant mortality vary by maternal education.
Methods:
Data came from Linked Birth and Infant Death files for 1988 through 1993. Multiple logistic regression models adjusted for confounders.
Results:
Infant mortality risk ratios comparing African Americans and Whites increased with higher levels of maternal education. Education beyond high school reduced risk of infant mortality by 20% among Whites but had little effect among African Americans.
Conclusions:
Higher education magnifies racial differences in infant mortality on a multiplicative scale. Possible reasons include greater stress, fewer economic resources, and poorer quality of prenatal care among African Americans.