Race/Ethnicity, Nativity, and Infant Mortality in the United States

Race/Ethnicity/Nativity Differentials and Changes in Cause-Specific Infant Deaths in the Context of Declining Infant Mortality in the U.S.: 1989–2001

“…Interestingly, MEX-US and MEX-IMM infants exhibit lower cause-specific infant mortality than NHW-US infants (main effects) for most causes with the inclusion of the covariates in Model 3, which has also previously been shown for overall infant mortality (Hummer et al 1999). This is consistent with Hypotheses 4a.…”

“…Birth weight and gestational age are the strongest predictors of infant mortality and also mediate the effects of a wide range of other risk factors (Cramer 1987;Hummer et al 1999). Consistent with previous research (Muhuri et al 2004), we have elected to include deaths attributable to SG/ LBW, while controlling the two birth outcomes in our final model.…”

“…This is especially the case for infants born to Mexican immigrant women, among whom the IMR is lower than that of infants of Mexican American women and much lower than the rate for black infants (Hummer et al 2007). The same nativity patternlower risks among infants born to immigrant women-has been observed across a range of race/ethnic/nativity subpopulations (Cabral et al 1990;Hummer et al 1999;Landale et al 1999;Singh and Yu 1996).…”

Acculturation and interleukin (IL)-6 concentrations across pregnancy among Mexican-American women

“…The observation that these health disparities are evident as early as at the time of birth itself suggests that this process may start as early as during the offspring’s period of intrauterine life, well before she/he is directly exposed to conditions in the host country Consistent with this notion are findings that link various dimensions or proxy measures of maternal acculturation with adverse birth outcomes, including low birth weight, preterm birth, and reduced infant survival (D’Anna-Hernandez et al, 2012; Frisbie et al, 1998; Hummer et al, 1999; Powers, 2013; Ruiz et al, 2015, 2006; Singh and Yu, 1996; Wommack et al, 2013), all of which have important implications for long-term health and disease susceptibility.…”

The relationship between socioeconomic status and infant mortality in metropolitan Ohio, 1999–2001*

“…First, how pronounced are differentials across income areas in 2000? Because of the recent de-emphasis of basic social programs directed at the poor (Hummer et al, 1999), other recent policy shifts that have benefited the wealthy more than the impoverished (Williams and Collins, 1995), and because the first to benefit from medical advances are usually those in the highest income areas (Stockwell et al, 1988), we hypothesize that a pronounced infant mortality differential will remain across income areas. Secondly, we will also monitor the relationship between income area and infant mortality for nonwhites to determine if the prior, almost random pattern continues.…”