IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/socmed/v265y2020ics0277953620307711.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

A tale of two generations: Maternal skin color and adverse birth outcomes in Black/African American women

Author

Listed:
  • Slaughter-Acey, Jaime C.
  • Brown, Tony N.
  • Keith, Verna M.
  • Dailey, Rhonda
  • Misra, Dawn P.

Abstract

We examined how sociopolitical context (marked by generational cohort) and maternal skin color interacted to influence preterm delivery (PTD) rates in sample of Black women. Data were from 1410 Black women, ages 18–45 years, residing in Metropolitan Detroit, MI enrolled (2009–2011) in the Life-course Influences on Fetal Environments (LIFE) Study. Because we hypothesized that generational differences marked by changes in the sociopolitical context would influence exposure to racism, we categorized women into two cohorts by maternal birth year: a) Generation X, 1964–1983 and b) Millennial, 1984–1993. Descriptive results showed similar PTD rates by generational cohort, Generation X: 16.3% vs. Millennials: 16.1%. Yet, within each generation, PTD rates varied by women's skin tone (categorized: light, medium, and dark brown). Poisson regression models confirmed a significant interaction between generational cohort and maternal skin tone predicting PTD (P = 0.001); suggesting a salubrious association between light brown skin tone (compared to medium and dark) and PTD for Generation X. However, Millennials with medium and dark brown skin experienced lower PTD rates than their light Millennial counterparts. Research should consider sociopolitical context and the salience of skin tone bias when investigating racial health disparities, including those in perinatal health.

Suggested Citation

  • Slaughter-Acey, Jaime C. & Brown, Tony N. & Keith, Verna M. & Dailey, Rhonda & Misra, Dawn P., 2020. "A tale of two generations: Maternal skin color and adverse birth outcomes in Black/African American women," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 265(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:265:y:2020:i:c:s0277953620307711
    DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2020.113552
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277953620307711
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.socscimed.2020.113552?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Krieger, N. & Chen, J.T. & Coull, B. & Waterman, P.D. & Beckfield, J., 2013. "The unique impact of abolition of Jim Crow Laws on reducing inequities in infant death rates and implications for choice of comparison groups in analyzing societal determinants of health," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 103(12), pages 2234-2244.
    2. Dominguez, Tyan Parker & Strong, Emily Ficklin & Krieger, Nancy & Gillman, Matthew W. & Rich-Edwards, Janet W., 2009. "Differences in the self-reported racism experiences of US-born and foreign-born Black pregnant women," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 69(2), pages 258-265, July.
    3. Arthur H. Goldsmith & Darrick Hamilton & William Darity Jr, 2006. "Shades of Discrimination: Skin Tone and Wages," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 96(2), pages 242-245, May.
    4. Rosenthal, L. & Earnshaw, V.A. & Lewis, T.T. & Reid, A.E. & Lewis, J.B. & Stasko, E.C. & Tobin, J.N. & Ickovics, J.R., 2015. "Changes in experiences with discrimination across pregnancy and postpartum: Age differences and consequences for mental health," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 105(4), pages 686-693.
    5. Geronimus, Arline T., 1996. "Black/white differences in the relationship of maternal age to birthweight: A population-based test of the weathering hypothesis," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 42(4), pages 589-597, February.
    6. Michael Greenstone & Kenneth Y. Chay, 2000. "The Convergence in Black-White Infant Mortality Rates during the 1960's," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 90(2), pages 326-332, May.
    7. Ford, C.L. & Airhihenbuwa, C.O., 2010. "Critical race theory, race equity, and public health: Toward antiracism praxis," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 100(S1), pages 30-35.
    8. Jones, C.P., 2000. "Levels of racism: A theoretic framework and a gardener's tale," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 90(8), pages 1212-1215.
    9. Sweet, E. & McDade, T.W. & Kiefe, C.I. & Liu, K., 2007. "Relationships between skin color, income, and blood pressure among African Americans in the CARDIA study," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 97(12), pages 2253-2259.
    10. Krieger, N. & Sidney, S. & Coakley, E., 1998. "Racial discrimination and skin color in the CARDIA study: Implications for public health research," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 88(9), pages 1308-1313.
    11. Diane Lauderdale, 2006. "Birth outcomes for Arabic-named women in California before and after September 11," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 43(1), pages 185-201, February.
    12. Jehonathan Ben & Donna Cormack & Ricci Harris & Yin Paradies, 2017. "Racism and health service utilisation: A systematic review and meta-analysis," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 12(12), pages 1-22, December.
    13. Feagin, Joe & Bennefield, Zinobia, 2014. "Systemic racism and U.S. health care," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 103(C), pages 7-14.
    14. Thomas, James C. & Thomas, Karen K., 1999. "Things ain't what they ought to be: social forces underlying racial disparities in rates of sexually transmitted diseases in a rural North Carolina county," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 49(8), pages 1075-1084, October.
    15. Gee, G.C. & Walsemann, K.M. & Brondolo, E., 2012. "A life course perspective on how racism may be related to health inequities," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 102(5), pages 967-974.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Akinade, Temitope & Kheyfets, Anna & Piverger, Naissa & Layne, Tracy M. & Howell, Elizabeth A. & Janevic, Teresa, 2023. "The influence of racial-ethnic discrimination on women's health care outcomes: A mixed methods systematic review," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 316(C).
    2. Diana‐Lyn Baptiste & Nia A. Josiah & Kamila A. Alexander & Yvonne Commodore‐Mensah & Patty R. Wilson & Keilah Jacques & Debra Jackson, 2020. "Racial discrimination in health care: An “us” problem," Journal of Clinical Nursing, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 29(23-24), pages 4415-4417, December.
    3. Layland, Eric K. & Maggs, Jennifer L. & Kipke, Michele D. & Bray, Bethany C., 2022. "Intersecting racism and homonegativism among sexual minority men of color: Latent class analysis of multidimensional stigma with subgroup differences in health and sociostructural burdens," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 293(C).
    4. Rucker C. Johnson, 2018. "Addressing Racial Health Disparities: Looking Back to Point the Way Forward," The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, , vol. 680(1), pages 132-171, November.
    5. Hicken, Margaret T. & Kravitz-Wirtz, Nicole & Durkee, Myles & Jackson, James S., 2018. "Racial inequalities in health: Framing future research," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 199(C), pages 11-18.
    6. David W. Johnston & Grace Lordan, 2014. "When Work Disappears: Racial Prejudice and Recession Labour Market Penalties," CEP Discussion Papers dp1257, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE.
    7. S. Michelle Ogunwole & Habibat A. Oguntade & Kelly M. Bower & Lisa A. Cooper & Wendy L. Bennett, 2023. "Health Experiences of African American Mothers, Wellness in the Postpartum Period and Beyond (HEAL): A Qualitative Study Applying a Critical Race Feminist Theoretical Framework," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(13), pages 1-29, July.
    8. Nancy Krieger & Pamela D Waterman & Anna Kosheleva & Jarvis T Chen & Kevin W Smith & Dana R Carney & Gary G Bennett & David R Williams & Gisele Thornhill & Elmer R Freeman, 2013. "Racial Discrimination & Cardiovascular Disease Risk: My Body My Story Study of 1005 US-Born Black and White Community Health Center Participants (US)," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 8(10), pages 1-15, October.
    9. Lukachko, Alicia & Hatzenbuehler, Mark L. & Keyes, Katherine M., 2014. "Structural racism and myocardial infarction in the United States," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 103(C), pages 42-50.
    10. Johnston, David W. & Lordan, Grace, 2016. "Racial prejudice and labour market penalties during economic downturns," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 84(C), pages 57-75.
    11. Ryan J. Petteway & Lourdes A. González, 2022. "Engaging Public Health Critical Race Praxis in Local Social Determinants of Health Research: The Youth Health Equity and Action Research Training Program in Portland, OR—yHEART PDX," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(13), pages 1-16, July.
    12. Tiffany Green & Tod Hamilton, 2019. "Maternal educational attainment and infant mortality in the United States: Does the gradient vary by race/ethnicity and nativity?," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 41(25), pages 713-752.
    13. Samuel Fishman, 2020. "An extended evaluation of the weathering hypothesis for birthweight," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 43(31), pages 929-968.
    14. Jennifer B. Kane & Claire Margerison-Zilko, 2017. "Theoretical Insights into Preconception Social Conditions and Perinatal Health: The Role of Place and Social Relationships," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 36(5), pages 639-669, October.
    15. Traci Burch, 2015. "Skin Color and the Criminal Justice System: Beyond Black‐White Disparities in Sentencing," Journal of Empirical Legal Studies, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 12(3), pages 395-420, September.
    16. Irizar, Patricia & Kapadia, Dharmi & Amele, Sarah & Bécares, Laia & Divall, Pip & Katikireddi, Srinivasa Vittal & Kibuchi, Eliud & Kneale, Dylan & McCabe, Ronan & Nazroo, James & Nellums, Laura B. & T, 2023. "Pathways to ethnic inequalities in COVID-19 health outcomes in the United Kingdom: A systematic map," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 329(C).
    17. Neblett, Enrique W., 2023. "Racism measurement and influences, variations on scientific racism, and a vision," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 316(C).
    18. Elder Todd E & Goddeeris John H & Haider Steven J, 2011. "A Deadly Disparity: A Unified Assessment of the Black-White Infant Mortality Gap," The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, De Gruyter, vol. 11(1), pages 1-44, June.
    19. Quinn, Edward B. & Ross, Jessica D. & Boston, P. Qasimah & Committee, HEAT Steering & Mulligan, Connie J. & Gravlee, Clarence C., 2023. "The social patterning of vicarious discrimination: Implications for health equity," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 332(C).
    20. Homan, Patricia, 2017. "Political gender inequality and infant mortality in the United States, 1990–2012," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 182(C), pages 127-135.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:265:y:2020:i:c:s0277953620307711. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/315/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.