Authors: Irma T Elo Zoua Vang Jennifer F Culhane
Publish Date: 2014/04/23
Volume: 18, Issue: 10, Pages: 2371-2381
Abstract
Rates of prematurity PTB and smallforgestational age SGA were compared between USborn and foreignborn nonHispanic black women Comparisons were also made between SubSaharan Africanborn and Caribbeanborn black women and by maternal country of birth within the two regions Comparisons were adjusted for sociodemographic health behavioral and medical risk factors available on the birth record Birth record data 2008 from all states n = 27 where mother’s country of birth was recorded were used These data comprised 58 of all singleton births to nonHispanic black women in that year Pearson Chi square and logistic regression were used to investigate variation in the rates of PTB and SGA by maternal nativity Foreignborn nonHispanic black women had significantly lower rates of PTB OR 0727 CI 0 726 0727 and SGA OR 0742 CI 0739–0745 compared to USborn nonHispanic black women in a fully adjusted model SubSaharan Africanborn black women compared to Caribbeanborn black women had significantly lower rates of PTB and SGA Within each region the rates of PTB and SGA varied by mother’s country of birth These differences could not be explained by adjustment for known risk factors obtained from vital records Considerable heterogeneity in rates of PTB and SGA among nonHispanic black women in the US by maternal nativity was documented and remained unexplained after adjustment for known risk factorsThe study received support from the University of Pennsylvania TRIO competition and was supported by the Eunice Shriver Kennedy National Institute of Child Health and Development Population Research Infrastructure Program R24 HD0449649 We thank Ye Wang for programming assistance There are no conflicts of interest
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