title: Exploring weathering: the relation of age to low birth weight among first generation and established United States-born Mexican-American women.
abstract: To determine the age-related patterns of low birth weight, preterm birth, and intrauterine growth retardation among first generation and established US-born Mexican-American mothers. We performed stratified analyses on an Illinois transgenerational dataset of Mexican-American infants (1989-1991) and their mothers (1956-1976) with appended U.S. census income information. In Cook County, Illinois established (second or higher generation) US-born Mexican-American women (N = 2,006) had a low birth weight (<2,500 g) rate of 6.2% compared to 4.8% for first generation US-born Mexican-American women (N = 1,450), RR = 1.3 (1.0-1.6). In both subgroups, low birth weight, preterm, and intrauterine growth retarded components rates did not increase with advancing maternal age. First generation 30-35 year old US-born Mexican-American women (N = 159) had a low birth weight rate of 3.1% compared to 4.2% for their teen counterparts (N = 386), RR = 0.8 (0.3-2.0). Established 30-35 year old US-born Mexican-American women (N = 330) had a low birth weight rate of 4.9% compared to 7.4% for their teen counterparts (N = 459), RR = 0.7 (0.4-1.2). There was no evidence of weathering among US-born Mexican-American mothers with a lifelong residence in lower income neighborhoods, with a general downward trend in low birth weight rates with increasing age until age 30-35. Rates of low birth weight, preterm birth, and intrauterine growth retardation do not increase with advancing age among first generation and established US-born 15-35 year old Mexican-American women. This trend persists among both generations of women with a lifelong residence in lower income neighborhoods.
authors.affiliation: Division of Neonatology, Children's Memorial Hospital, #45, 2300 Children's Plaza, Chicago, IL 60614, USA. jcollins@northwestern.edu
authors.forename: James W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Collins
authors.forename: Kristin M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Rankin
authors.forename: Anna B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Hedstrom
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D019352:Censuses; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005317:Fetal Growth Retardation / Q000208:ethnology*; D006801:Humans; D007087:Illinois / Q000453:epidemiology; D007230:Infant, Low Birth Weight; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D016901:Intergenerational Relations; D008423:Maternal Age; D017058:Mexican Americans / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome / Q000208:ethnology; D047928:Premature Birth / Q000208:ethnology*; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012931:Social Environment; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D055815:Young Adult