Cumulative Inequality and Race/Ethnic Disparities in Low Birthweight: Differences by Childhood SES

• In Event: 4211 - The Roots of Inequality: Early and Mid-Life Determinants of Health and Well-being in Later Life

Abstract

The current study applies Cumulative Inequality theory to investigate whether differences in mothers’ childhood socioeconomic status (SES), in terms of economic hardship and social position, account for race/ethnic disparities in infant low birthweight (LBW) risk. This study uses three-generation linked data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 (1979-1995) and NLSY Young Adult (1994-2010) samples, which detail the life histories of the mothers and grandmothers of 2,332 singleton infants, to assess the unique association between mothers’ childhood SES and infant LBW in ways not previously possible. Results indicate that childhood SES differences do not account for race/ethnic disparities in LBW, as low childhood SES increases the probability of LBW only for whites. Further pairwise comparisons of infant LBW probability between black, white, and Hispanic mothers from similar childhood socioeconomic backgrounds indicate the greatest LBW disparities exist between black and white women who experienced the least SES disadvantage during childhood.

Author

• Laura Freeman Cenegy, Rice University