Risk factors for low birth weight infants of Hispanic, African American, and White women in Bexar County, Texas.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to compare the risk factors in women who delivered an infant of low birth weight (LBW, <2,500 g) versus women who delivered an infant weighing >2,500 g in a large metropolitan county (Bexar) in South Texas.


METHODS
An exploratory case comparison design was used to identify factors related to LBW outcomes in women receiving prenatal care.


METHODS
The cases were obtained from community hospitals. A stratified random sample was selected from a population of 38,064 infant births, of which 2,910 were identified as LBW. The final sample size was N=321 (<2,500 g, n=151; >or=2,500 g, n=170).


METHODS
Dependent variable of infant birth weight; independent variables of maternal age, maternal race/ethnicity, education, smoking, prior pregnancy history, timing of and number of prenatal visits, prepregnancy body mass index and weight gain during pregnancy, and past medical history and medical problems during pregnancy.


RESULTS
Independent variables found to be predictive of LBW in this study included maternal race/ethnicity, timing of first prenatal visit, number of prenatal visits, prior pregnancy history, and maternal weight gain.


CONCLUSIONS
This study confirmed previous findings that African American women are at a higher risk for LBW deliveries and demonstrated that Anglo and Hispanic women have similar rates of LBW deliveries.
Tierney-Gumaer
Rosalie
R
University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas, USA.
Reifsnider
Elizabeth
E
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006764:Hospitals, Community; D006801:Humans; D007230:Infant, Low Birth Weight; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008423:Maternal Age; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology*; D037841:Pregnant People / Q000208:ethnology*; D011295:Prenatal Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013781:Texas / Q000453:epidemiology; D014504:Urban Health; D015430:Weight Gain / Q000208:ethnology; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*