Blurred Boundaries: Latinx Cesarean Disparities in U.S.-Mexico Border Counties, 2010–2020

• In Event: Medical Sociology Section Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (90 minute): Table 12. Migration and Health

Abstract

This study analyzes Latinx/non-Latinx disparities in low-risk cesarean births in U.S.-Mexico border counties, 2010-2020, using National Center for Health Statistics birth certificate data (N=22,212,076). Drawing on fundamental cause theory and cultural health capital, we theorize cross-border cultural spillover as a structural mechanism shaping provider behavior and institutional practices. Logistic regression models reveal significantly elevated cesarean rates in low-risk Latinx births in border counties, independent of nativity, insurance status, and maternal characteristics. The effects persist for both U.S.-born and foreign-born Latinas, in contrast to non-Latinx Whites with no elevation in cesareans along the border. The results suggest that border location operates as a contextual fundamental cause. We theorize that provider professional socialization and institutional isomorphism, rather than patient characteristics, produce these effects. We argue that transnational professional networks and medical training shape clinical decision-making in ways that reproduce health inequality.

Authors

• Louise Marie Roth, University of Arizona

• Jennifer Hyunkyung Lee, University of Arizona

• Theresa Morris, Texas A&M University-College Station

• Isabel Campos Palomar, University of Arizona