Women's lifelong exposure to neighborhood poverty and low birth weight: a population-based study.
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether women's lifelong residential environment is associated with infant low birth weight.


METHODS
We performed race-specific stratified and multivariate binomial regression analyses on an Illinois vital record dataset of non-Latino White and African-American infants (1989-1991) and their mothers (1956-1975) with appended United States census income information.


RESULTS
Non-Latino White women (N = 267) with a lifelong residence in low-income neighborhoods had a low birth weight (<2,500 g) incidence of 10.1% vs. 5.1% for White women (N = 10,647) with a lifelong residence in high-income neighborhoods; RR = 2.0 (1.4-2.9). African-American women (N = 18,297) with a lifelong residence in low-income neighborhoods had a low birth weight incidence of 17% vs. 11.7% for African-American women (N = 546) with a lifelong residence in high-income areas; RR = 1.5 (1.2-1.8). The adjusted population attributable risk (PAR) percent of LBW for lifelong residence in low-income neighborhoods was 1.6% for non-Latino White and 23.6% for African-American women.


CONCLUSIONS
Non-Latino White and African-American women's lifelong residence in low-income neighborhoods is a risk factor for LBW; however, African-Americans experience a greater public health burden from this phenomenon.
Collins
James W
JW
Division of Neonatology, Children's Memorial Hospital, 2300 Children's Plaza, #45, Chicago, IL 60614, USA. jcollins@northwestern.edu
Wambach
Jennifer
J
David
Richard J
RJ
Rankin
Kristin M
KM
D000328:Adult; D002641:Chicago; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007230:Infant, Low Birth Weight; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D011203:Poverty; D055815:Young Adult