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Women’s Economic Mobility and Small for Gestational Age Rates: The Effect of Paternal Early-Life Socioeconomic Position

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Abstract

Objective

To determine whether paternal early-life socioeconomic position (defined by neighborhood income) modifies the association of maternal economic mobility and infant small for gestational age (weight for gestational age < 10th percentile, SGA) rates.

Methods

Stratified and multilevel binomial regression analyses were executed on the Illinois transgenerational dataset of parents (born 1956–1976) and their infants (born 1989–1991) with appended U.S. census income information. Only Chicago-born women with an early-life residence in impoverished or affluent neighborhoods were studied.

Results

The incidence of impoverished-born women’s upward economic mobility among births (n = 3777) with early-life low socioeconomic position (SEP) fathers was less than that of those (n = 576) with early-life high SEP fathers: 56% vs 71%, respectively, p < 0.01. The incidence of affluent-born women’s downward economic mobility among births (n = 2370) with early-life low SEP fathers exceeded that of those (n = 3822) with early-life high SEP fathers: 79% vs 66%, respectively, p < 0.01. The adjusted RR of infant SGA for maternal upward (compared to lifelong impoverishment) economic mobility among fathers with early-life low and high SEP equaled 0.68 (0.56, 0.82) and 0.81 (0.47, 1.42), respectively. The adjusted RR of infant SGA for maternal downward (compared to lifelong residence in affluent neighborhoods) economic mobility among fathers with early-life low and high SEP were 1.37 (0.91, 2.05) and 1.17 (0.86, 1.59), respectively.

Conclusions

Paternal early-life SEP is associated with maternal economic mobility (both upward and downward); however, it does not modify the relationship between maternal economic mobility and infant SGA rates.

Significance

What is known about this subject? Impoverished-born women’s upward economic mobility across their life-course is associated with decreased infant SGA rates; and, affluent-born women’s downward economic mobility is associated with increased infant SGA rates. A prior study found that paternal SEP is a determinant of infant SGA risk independent of maternal demographic characteristics at the time of delivery.

What this study adds? Paternal early-life low SEP is associated with impoverished-born women’s persistent impoverishment and affluent-born women’s downward economic mobility. However, it fails to modify the relationship between women’s upward or downward economic mobility and infant SGA rates.

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Data Availability

Illinois transgenerational birth-file with appended US census income information (David et al., MCHJ, 2010).

Code Availability

Not applicable.

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Funding

This study was funded by a research grant from the March of Dimes Foundation (12-FY09-159, to JWC).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Neonatology-#45, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, 225 E. Chicago Ave, Chicago, IL, 60611, USA

    Shayna Hibbs, Blair A. Simon & James W. Collins Jr

  2. Department of Epidemiology, University of Illinois School of Public Health, Chicago, USA

    Julia Howland & Kristin M. Rankin

Authors
  1. Shayna Hibbs
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  2. Blair A. Simon
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  3. Julia Howland
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  4. Kristin M. Rankin
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  5. James W. Collins Jr
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Contributions

SH co-led the study’s design/conceptualization and wrote the first draft of the paper. BAS participated in the study’s design/conceptualization and organized the epidemiologic comparisons. JH performed the statistical analyses. KMR supervised the statistical analyses and maintained the Illinois Transgenerational Birth-file (TGBF). JWC created the Illinois TGBF, co-led the study’s design/conceptualization, obtained funding, and supervised all aspects of the study. All of the authors contributed to the writing of the paper and approve its’ content.

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Correspondence to James W. Collins Jr.

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Hibbs, S., Simon, B.A., Howland, J. et al. Women’s Economic Mobility and Small for Gestational Age Rates: The Effect of Paternal Early-Life Socioeconomic Position. Matern Child Health J 27, 1643–1650 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-023-03707-3

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