title: Maternal and infant demographics and health status: a comparison of black, Caucasian, and Hispanic families.
abstract: The relationships among ethnicity, demographics, smoking and drinking habits, and maternal and infant health were examined in a sample of 171 low-income and low-risk Black, Caucasian, and Hispanic families. Few ethnic differences in the health status of the mothers and their infants emerged when ethnic differences were directly examined; however, a latent variable analysis indicated that ethnicity was related to smoking and drinking habits such that Caucasian mothers were more likely to smoke and drink. Smoking and drinking, in turn, led to smaller infant size at birth. Demographic differences found in level of income, education, and family composition suggest that low-income families are not necessarily homogeneous.
authors.affiliation: University of Texas, Austin.
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Langlois
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Ritter
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Casey
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001741:Black or African American; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology; D001034:Apgar Score; D001724:Birth Weight; D005260:Female; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007232:Infant, Newborn, Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013781:Texas / Q000453:epidemiology; D044465:White People