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Maternal upward socioeconomic mobility and Black-White disparities in infant birthweight

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  • Colen, C.G.
  • Geronimus, A.T.
  • Bound, J.
  • James, S.A.

Abstract

Objectives. We estimate the extent to which upward socioeconomic mobility limits the probability that Black and White women who spent their childhoods in or near poverty will give birth to a low-birthweight baby. Methods. Data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 and the 1970 US Census were used to complete a series of logistic regression models. We restricted multivariate analyses to female survey respondents who, at 14 years of age, were living in households in which the income-to-needs ratio did not exceed 200% of poverty. Results. For White women, the probability of giving birth to a low-birthweight baby decreases by 48% for every 1 unit increase in the natural logarithm of adult family income, once the effects of all other covariates are taken into account. For Black women, the relation between adult family income and the probability of low birthweight is also negative; however, this association fails to reach statistical significance. Conclusions. Upward socioeconomic mobility contributes to improved birth outcomes among infants born to White women who were poor as children, but the same does not hold true for their Black counterparts.

Suggested Citation

  • Colen, C.G. & Geronimus, A.T. & Bound, J. & James, S.A., 2006. "Maternal upward socioeconomic mobility and Black-White disparities in infant birthweight," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 96(11), pages 2032-2039.
    • Handle: RePEc:aph:ajpbhl:10.2105/ajph.2005.076547_6
    DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2005.076547
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    Cited by:

    1. Paula Braveman & Katherine Heck & Susan Egerter & Tyan Parker Dominguez & Christine Rinki & Kristen S Marchi & Michael Curtis, 2017. "Worry about racial discrimination: A missing piece of the puzzle of Black-White disparities in preterm birth?," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 12(10), pages 1-17, October.
    2. Islam, Samiha & Jaffee, Sara R., 2024. "Social mobility and mental health: A systematic review and meta-analysis," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 340(C).
    3. Alice Goisis, 2023. "Maternal Age at First Birth and Parental Support: Evidence From the UK Millennium Cohort Study," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 42(5), pages 1-33, October.
    4. Daniel Kim & Adrianna Saada, 2013. "The Social Determinants of Infant Mortality and Birth Outcomes in Western Developed Nations: A Cross-Country Systematic Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 10(6), pages 1-40, June.
    5. Hicken, Margaret T. & Kravitz-Wirtz, Nicole & Durkee, Myles & Jackson, James S., 2018. "Racial inequalities in health: Framing future research," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 199(C), pages 11-18.
    6. Alice Goisis & Melissa Martinson & Wendy Sigle, 2019. "When richer doesn’t mean thinner: Ethnicity, socioeconomic position, and the risk of child obesity in the United Kingdom," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 41(23), pages 649-678.
    7. Darrell Hudson & Akilah Collins-Anderson & William Hutson, 2023. "Understanding the Impact of Contemporary Racism on the Mental Health of Middle Class Black Americans," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(3), pages 1-10, January.
    8. Tiffany Green & Tod Hamilton, 2019. "Maternal educational attainment and infant mortality in the United States: Does the gradient vary by race/ethnicity and nativity?," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 41(25), pages 713-752.
    9. Sparks, P. Johnelle, 2009. "Do biological, sociodemographic, and behavioral characteristics explain racial/ethnic disparities in preterm births?," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 68(9), pages 1667-1675, May.
    10. Rachel West & John P. Bartkowski, 2019. "Negotiating Patient-Provider Power Dynamics in Distinct Childbirth Settings: Insights from Black American Mothers," Societies, MDPI, vol. 9(2), pages 1-21, June.
    11. Alice Goisis & Wendy Sigle-Rushton, 2014. "Childbearing Postponement and Child Well-being: A Complex and Varied Relationship?," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 51(5), pages 1821-1841, October.
    12. Rosenthal, Lisa & Lobel, Marci, 2011. "Explaining racial disparities in adverse birth outcomes: Unique sources of stress for Black American women," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 72(6), pages 977-983, March.
    13. Vu, Cecilia & Arcaya, Mariana C. & Kawachi, Ichiro & Williams, David R., 2023. "Moving to opportunity? Low birth weight outcomes among Southern-born Black mothers during the Great Migration," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 328(C).
    14. Colen, Cynthia G. & Ramey, David M. & Cooksey, Elizabeth C. & Williams, David R., 2018. "Racial disparities in health among nonpoor African Americans and Hispanics: The role of acute and chronic discrimination," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 199(C), pages 167-180.
    15. Alcántara, Carmela & Chen, Chih-Nan & Alegría, Margarita, 2014. "Do post-migration perceptions of social mobility matter for Latino immigrant health?," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 101(C), pages 94-106.
    16. Arline Geronimus & John Bound & Annie Ro, 2014. "Residential Mobility Across Local Areas in the United States and the Geographic Distribution of the Healthy Population," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 51(3), pages 777-809, June.
    17. Nepomnyaschy, Lenna, 2010. "Race disparities in low birth weight in the U.S. south and the rest of the nation," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 70(5), pages 684-691, March.
    18. Valentin Simoncic & Séverine Deguen & Christophe Enaux & Stéphanie Vandentorren & Wahida Kihal-Talantikite, 2022. "A Comprehensive Review on Social Inequalities and Pregnancy Outcome—Identification of Relevant Pathways and Mechanisms," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(24), pages 1-43, December.
    19. Tiedje, LindaBeth & Holzman, Claudia B. & De Vos, Eric & Jia, Xu & Korzeniewski, Steve & Rahbar, Mohammad H. & Goble, Monica M. & Kallen, David, 2008. "Hostility and anomie: Links to preterm delivery subtypes and ambulatory blood pressure at mid-pregnancy," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 66(6), pages 1310-1321, March.

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