Racial Disparities in Pregnancy and Birth Outcomes

Ciciolla, Lucia; Armans, Mira; Addante, Samantha; Huffer, Amy

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-12228-7_4

Cited by 3 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 140 publications

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“…The high rates of adverse birth outcomes among African American children cannot be reduced to socioeconomic disadvantage and have been attributed to the stress emerging from discrimination, exclusion, and racism (Ciciolla et al 2020; Collins and David 2009; Dominguez 2011; Lu and Halfon 2003; Rosenthal and Lobel 2011). The stronger effect of Democratic presidents on preterm birth than on fetal growth restriction is consistent with this attribution, as gestational length is directly affected by maternal stress and anxiety (Dunkel Schetter 2011; Torche 2011).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Political contexts that promote racial inclusion and equality could also contribute to improved infant health. African American infants have the highest rates of adverse birth outcomes of all major racial/ethnic groups, a gap that cannot be explained by socioeconomic disadvantage alone and that has been attributed to the harmful embodiment of exposure to discrimination, racism, and exclusion (Ciciolla, Addante, and Huffer 2020;Collins and David 2009;Dominguez 2011;Lu and Halfon 2003;Rosenthal and Lobel 2011). The Democratic party's stronger attention to racial justice could contribute to improved birth outcomes among African Americans, thereby improving overall infant health.…”

Section: Pathways Of Influencementioning

confidence: 99%

“…The macro-comparative approach has also been criticized for ignoring heterogeneity in the consequences of political factors across national populations (Beckfield and Krieger 2009; Pega et al 2013). This critique is particularly relevant for the United States, where despite relatively high per capita income and health spending, infant health remains worse than in other wealthy countries, partly because of wide racial and economic disparities, with African American and low-income infants experiencing particularly poor birth outcomes (Bronstein, Wingate, and Brisendine 2018; Chen et al 2016; Ciciolla, Addante, and Huffer 2020). Understanding the effect of political context on infant health requires, therefore, considering critical axes of heterogeneity within the population.…”

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confidence: 99%

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The Political Context and Infant Health in the United States

Torche

Rauf

2021

Am Sociol Rev

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Most social determinants of health are shaped by political decisions. However, beyond specific policies, there is limited empirical investigation into the consequences of the changing political context on population health in the United States. We examine a salient political factor—the party of the president and governor—as a determinant of infant health between 1971 and 2018 using a battery of fixed-effects models. We focus on infant health because it has far-reaching implications for future population health and inequality. Our analysis yields three findings: (1) Democratic presidents have a beneficial effect on infant health outcomes, with stronger effects for Black infants compared to White infants. (2) The president’s party effect materializes after two years of a Democratic transition, and remains elevated until the end of the party’s tenure in office. (3) Specific measurable social policies appear to play a minor role in explaining the beneficial effect of Democratic administrations. Our findings suggest the party in power is an important determinant of infant health, particularly among vulnerable populations, and they invite a deeper examination of mechanisms.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Pathways Of Influencementioning

confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

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The Political Context and Infant Health in the United States

Torche

Rauf

2021

Am Sociol Rev

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“…Although extant literature documents the buffering effects of resilience against a host of negative outcomes, fewer investigations have focused on women during pregnancy. Similarly, there has been little focus in the literature given to pregnancyspecific stress, even though stress among pregnant women has been predictive of a number of negative maternal and infant outcomes (Andersson et al, 2006;Dunkel Schetter & Tanner, 2012), particularly for pregnant women of minority status and who are undergoing socioeconomic challenges (Ciciolla et al, 2019).…”

Section: Strengthsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Resilience During Pregnancy: How Early Life Experiences are Associated with Pregnancy-Specific Stress

et al. 2020

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High levels of maternal pregnancy-specific stress are associated with an increased risk for adverse birth outcomes as well as anxiety and depression symptoms during and following pregnancy. There is evidence that early childhood experiences play an important role in maternal psychological health and well-being and may be important for shaping maternal vulnerability to pregnancy-specific stress. The current study examined the link between both maternal adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and protective and compensatory experiences (PACEs) and pregnancy-specific stress and considered the mediating and moderating roles of resilience on these associations. Data came from a high-risk clinic cohort of 138 racially diverse pregnant women (ages 16-38). We found that resilience mediated the associations between PACEs and pregnancy-specific stress and moderated the association between ACEs and pregnancy-specific stress. In particular, high levels of resilience were protective against pregnancy-specific stress at low and moderate levels of ACEs. The findings highlight the importance of early childhood experiences on women's well-being during pregnancy and demonstrate how both ACEs and PACEs contribute to and are protected by resilience.

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“…Although there is a dearth of literature locally, studies on ethnic minorities, including women of the Pacific Islands living in the United States, showed that ethnic minority is a risk factor for under-five mortality and other adverse birth outcomes attributed to social disparities and cultural marginalization. 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 Women practising the Roman Catholic or Anglican faiths had a higher risk of under-five mortality, especially during the neonatal and infancy period, than their counterpart sects and religion (Protestant and Pentecostal churches and minor religions). Although there is a paucity of literature on under-five mortality specific to these religions, studies in Mozambique have also hypothesized that affiliation to a particular religion, for instance, those connected to the health sector, could be in a better position for child survival.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%