Low birthweight and the contribution of residential segregation: New York City, 2000.
Item
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Title
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Low birthweight and the contribution of residential segregation: New York City, 2000.
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Identifier
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AAI3169912
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identifier
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3169912
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Creator
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Grady, Sue C.
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Contributor
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Adviser: Sara McLafferty
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Date
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2005
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Geography | Health Sciences, Public Health | Biology, Biostatistics | Black Studies
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Abstract
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Low birthweight, the percentage of babies weighting less than 2,500 grams at birth, is a major public health problem in the United States, contributing substantially to infant mortality and childhood morbidity. Over the past several decades the rate of low birthweight for African American women has exceeded that of other racial and ethnic groups in the United States. Today, these racial differentials are still largely unexplained. The purpose of this research was to investigate the geography of racial disparities in low birthweight in New York City. This cross-sectional multi-level study focused on racial residential segregation and its contribution to adverse medical conditions in African American mothers and the risk of low birthweight among African American infants. It was hypothesized that exposure to residential segregation would deteriorate the health status of African American women, leading to medical conditions that reduce the quality of the intrauterine environment, increasing fetal vulnerability to low birthweight. The results indicated that African American women living in segregated neighborhoods were at substantially greater risk of low birthweight than similar women not living in segregated neighborhoods. U.S.-born African American women were at greater risk of low birthweight than foreign-born African American women, also living in segregated areas, suggesting that longer duration of exposure is detrimental to birth outcomes. African American women also had a greater number and more complex array of medical conditions earlier in their reproductive years than white women, evidence of early health deterioration. Medical conditions, specifically chronic hypertension, pregnancy-related hypertension, and preeclampsia were identified as mediators in the residential segregation and low birthweight relationship. In New York City, residential segregation is an important determinant of racial disparities in low birthweight.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
