Black and Immigrant: Exploring the Effects of Ethnicity and Foreign-Born Status on Infant Health

Black and Immigrant: Exploring the Effects of Ethnicity and Foreign-Born Status on Infant Health challenges earlier research suggesting "superior" birth outcomes among immigrant mothers when compared to their native born counterparts. Most immigrant birth-outcome studies were based on data derived primarily from Mexican immigrant mothers. Using 2000-2003 data from the National Center for Health Statistics, this study compares the prenatal behaviors and birth outcomes (preterm birth, low birth weight, and small for gestational age) of non-Hispanic Black immigrant mothers to those of non-Black immigrants and both Black and non-Black US-born mothers.

The findings indicate that Black foreign-born mothers show a slight health advantage over Black US-born mothers, and the author suggests that lifestyle choices among Black immigrant mothers, such as lower rates of smoking, may play a role in better birth outcomes when compared to their US-born counterparts. However, the author notes a lower likelihood among foreign-born Black mothers of beginning prenatal care during the first trimester when compared across all groups. The study also finds that the health advantages of Black immigrant mothers disappear when compared to most non-black foreign-born mothers, mirroring the "infant-health gap observed among US-born Black and non-Hispanic white mothers." The author suggests that these disparities have a wider implication for the health of the overall Black population residing within the US, and calls for further research to investigate the "socioeconomic mechanisms" behind these inequities. (Abstract courtesy Nicholas Montalto, PhD.)

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