A Comparison of Hispanic and Anglo Compromised Birth Outcomes and Cause-Specific Infant Mortality in the United States, 1989-1991
In: Social science quarterly, Band 81, Heft 1, S. 439-458
ISSN: 0038-4941
For all major Hispanic groups in the US, despite high-risk profiles, adjusted infant mortality rates are similar to, or more favorable than, those for non-Hispanic whites. Using the Linked Birth & Infant Death Data files from NCHS for 1989-1991, a relatively new approach to cause-of-death classification is employed in which deaths are categorized by a typology that focuses on causes most likely to be affected by similar prevention strategies. Also utilized is a refinement of the conventional measure of compromised birth outcome, which includes a component of maturity not typically included in social science research. Findings show that most Hispanic groups have quite similar distributions of infant death by cause category, &, unlike the situation among adults, the distributions are similar to those among Anglos. The cause-by-outcome patterns extend partly to the four leading causes of infant death, with Puerto Ricans being the most likely to show disparate patterns. The most important findings from multinomial logistic regression models explain (& reduce) observed differentials & suggest that, should Hispanics experience risk profiles identical to those of Anglos, cause-specific differences would be reduced & might disappear for all Hispanic groups. 4 Tables, 27 References. Adapted from the source document.