Postterm delivery among African Americans, Mexican Americans and Whites in Chicago.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of the present study was to examine the effect of individual-level and community-level risk factors on the postterm delivery rates of infants born to African-American, Mexican-American, and non-Latino White mothers; and to compare postterm delivery rates between these ethnic groups.


METHODS
This is a population-based study.


METHODS
We performed stratified and multivariate logistic regression analyses on a linked dataset of 1992-1995 Illinois vital records, 1990 United States Census income data, and 1995 Chicago Department of Public Health information. Communities with one or more high-risk characteristics (low median family income or high rates of unemployment, homicide or lead poisoning) were classified as impoverished.


RESULTS
In Chicago, African Americans (N = 85,978) had a postterm rate of 4.3/1,000 and Mexican Americans (N = 47,266) had a postterm rate of 3.6/1,000, compared to 2.3/1,000 for non-Latino Whites (N = 48,601); relative risk (ninety-five percent confidence interval) = 1.9 (1.5-2.3) and 1.6 (1.2-2.0), respectively. Maternal age, education, marital status, parity, and prenatal care usage were associated with ethnic group-specific postterm delivery rates. In a multivariate logistic regression model for non-impoverished mothers, the adjusted odds ratios of postterm delivery for African Americans and Mexican Americans were 1.0 (0.5-3.2) and 1.0 (0.6-1.7), respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
We conclude that African Americans and Mexican Americans have greater postterm delivery rates than do Whites; however, commonly cited individual and community-level risk factors account for most of the disparity.
Collins
J W
JW
Department of Pediatrics, Children's Memorial Hospital, Northwestern University Medical School, Chicago, Illinois 60614, USA. jcollins@northwestern.edu
Schulte
N F
NF
George
L
L
Drolet
A
A
D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American; D002641:Chicago / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D017058:Mexican Americans; D011247:Pregnancy; D011273:Pregnancy, Prolonged / Q000208:ethnology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D044465:White People