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Racial Disparities in Low Birthweight Risk: an Examination of Stress Predictors

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Abstract

Objective

This paper describes racial disparities in low birthweight (LBW) risk between Black women and White women and examines the relationship between race and stressors such as socioeconomic factors, access to health care, and social and health characteristics.

Methods

We analyzed data from the National Survey of Family Growth dataset collected in the USA between 2006 and 2010 (N = 1516). Multivariate logistic regression models were performed.

Results

Prevalence of LBW was 5.6 % for pregnancies among White women and 12.2 % among Black women. Black women who had a LBW baby had a lower socioeconomic status (e.g., received assistance to pay for delivery of the baby and public assistance in the prior year). Black women who had a LBW baby were more likely to have reported having good health compared with White women (67.8 vs. 45.1 %, p < .10). Pregnancies of Black women were 2.6 times more likely (odds ratio (OR) = 2.33; 95 % confidence interval (CI), 1.12–6.04) to result in a LBW baby than pregnancies among White women. Pregnancies of women in the income group of 300 % or higher than the poverty level were less likely to be associated with a LBW baby than those among women in the 150–299 % income group (p < .10). Obese women were less likely to have LBW children than those who were underweight or normal weight (p < .10). Among pregnancies of White mothers (n = 943), the only significant variable was self-reported health status. White women who reported having poorer health were 3.7 times more likely to have LBW than those who reported having better health (p < .10). Among Black mothers, the only predictor that was negatively associated with an increased likelihood of having a LBW baby was the SES stressor related to receiving public assistance.

Conclusion

Racial differences between Black and White women were observed in LBW risk based on socioeconomic factors. We analyzed a large number of stressors, but racial differences remained even after taking these stressors into account. Future policies and research should continually address these differences to decrease LBW risk within and across racial groups.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the Diversifying Faculty in Illinois (DFI) Fellowship. The authors graciously thank Dr. Reginald Alston, Dr. Susan Farner, and Dr. Karin Rosenblatt from the Department of Kinesiology and Community Health at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for their critical constructive feedback. The authors would also like to thank Angela Stellrecht for editing assistance. Additionally, the authors thank Dr. Keera Allendorf from the Department of Sociology and International Studies at Indiana University. The authors also wish to thank the administrative staff at the DFI for their ongoing support. The authors gratefully thank and acknowledge the contributions of all of the agencies within the US Department of Health and Human Services that have assisted with the design and implementation of the 2006–2010 NSFG.

Conflict of Interest

Authors Shondra Loggins Clay and Flavia Cristina Drumond Andrade declare no conflict of interest.

Informed Consent

Secondary data analyses were conducted for this manuscript. No human subjects or experimentation was used. All procedures were in accordance with the Institutional Review Board.

Animal Studies

No animal or human studies were conducted by the authors for this manuscript.

Ethical Statement

The authors acknowledge the ethical guidelines presented in the instructors to the authors and declare that they have conducted themselves in accordance to the highest level of professional ethics and standards.

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Author notes

    Authors and Affiliations

    1. Research Data Analyst, Counseling Center, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 610 E. John Street-Office 117, Champaign, IL, 61820, USA

      Shondra Loggins Clay

    2. Department of Kinesiology and Community Health, University of Illinois, 1206 S. Fourth Street, 2011 Huff Hall, Champaign, IL, 61820, USA

      Flavia Cristina Drumond Andrade

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    1. Shondra Loggins Clay
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    Correspondence to Shondra Loggins Clay.

    Additional information

    Shondra Loggins Clay and Flavia Cristina Drumond Andrade contributed equally to this work.

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    Clay, S.L., Andrade, F.C.D. Racial Disparities in Low Birthweight Risk: an Examination of Stress Predictors. J. Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities 3, 200–209 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-015-0128-5

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    • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-015-0128-5

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