IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/socmed/v76y2013icp28-38.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Maternal familism predicts birthweight and asthma symptoms three years later

Author

Listed:
  • Abdou, Cleopatra M.
  • Dominguez, Tyan Parker
  • Myers, Hector F.

Abstract

There are marked ethnic and socioeconomic differences in birthweight and childhood asthma, conditions which may be linked causally or via a third variable. Cultural resources are often credited with diminished health disparities in infancy and childhood among subsets of poor and minority populations; yet direct empirical tests of this hypothesis are needed. In this study, ethnicity, lifespan family socioeconomic position (FSEP), and the cultural resource of familism were compared as predictors of birthweight and expression of asthma symptoms (AE) by age three. Familism and lifespan FSEP were assessed in 4633 socioeconomically disadvantaged African Americans, White Americans, and Latinas upon giving birth, as was offspring birthweight. AE was assessed in offspring through age three. Asthma diagnosis by age three was likelier in very low (≤1500 g) and low (≤2500 g) birthweight infants compared to infants born at average (2501–3999 g) or larger (≥4000 g) birthweights. Asthma risk associated with lower birthweight was higher for Latinos (17–35%) and African Americans (19–23%) than for White Americans (13–14%). As predicted, maternal familism was higher among White Americans than among African Americans and Latinas, an effect that was largely driven by ethnic disparities in lifespan FSEP. Familism predicted continuous birthweight (p = .003) and AE (p = .001) by age three independently of ethnicity and lifespan FSEP accounting for appropriate control variables, including maternal biomedical risk, maternal acculturation, parental marital status, and infant sex. There was a 71-g gain in birthweight for every one-unit increase in familism. The protective effect of familism on AE by age three was strongest for participants of lower lifespan FSEP. Maternal familism is one cultural resource that may reduce reproductive and intergenerational health disparities in both U.S.- and foreign-born Americans. Consistent with our previous work, familism and other nonmaterial resources covary with material resources. Nevertheless, culture is distinguishable from lifespan FSEP and ethnicity, and has health implications beyond associations to ethnicity, lifespan FSEP, and related biomedical and sociodemographic factors.

Suggested Citation

  • Abdou, Cleopatra M. & Dominguez, Tyan Parker & Myers, Hector F., 2013. "Maternal familism predicts birthweight and asthma symptoms three years later," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 76(C), pages 28-38.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:76:y:2013:i:c:p:28-38
    DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2012.07.041
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277953612006260
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.socscimed.2012.07.041?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. 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.
    2. Berkman, Lisa F. & Glass, Thomas & Brissette, Ian & Seeman, Teresa E., 2000. "From social integration to health: Durkheim in the new millennium," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 51(6), pages 843-857, September.
    3. Reichman, Nancy E. & Teitler, Julien O. & Garfinkel, Irwin & McLanahan, Sara S., 2001. "Fragile Families: sample and design," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 23(4-5), pages 303-326.
    4. Almeida, Joanna & Molnar, Beth E. & Kawachi, Ichiro & Subramanian, S.V., 2009. "Ethnicity and nativity status as determinants of perceived social support: Testing the concept of familism," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 68(10), pages 1852-1858, May.
    5. Zambrana, R.E. & Scrimshaw, S.C.M. & Collins, N. & Dunkel-Schetter, C., 1997. "Prenatal health behaviors and psychosocial risk factors in pregnant women of mexican origin: The role of acculturation," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 87(6), pages 1022-1026.
    6. Cagney, K.A. & Browning, C.R. & Wallace, D.M., 2007. "The Latino paradox in neighborhood context: The case of asthma and other respiratory conditions," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 97(5), pages 919-925.
    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. Bjornstrom, Eileen E.S. & Kuhl, Danielle C., 2014. "A different look at the epidemiological paradox: Self-rated health, perceived social cohesion, and neighborhood immigrant context," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 120(C), pages 118-125.
    2. Harley, Kim & Eskenazi, Brenda, 2006. "Time in the United States, social support and health behaviors during pregnancy among women of Mexican descent," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 62(12), pages 3048-3061, June.
    3. Bilecen, Başak & Vacca, Raffaele, 2021. "The isolation paradox: A comparative study of social support and health across migrant generations in the U.S," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 283(C).
    4. Shell, Alyssa Marie & Peek, M. Kristen & Eschbach, Karl, 2013. "Neighborhood Hispanic composition and depressive symptoms among Mexican-descent residents of Texas City, Texas," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 99(C), pages 56-63.
    5. Rosaria Lumino & Giancarlo Ragozini & Marijtje Duijn & Maria Prosperina Vitale, 2017. "A mixed-methods approach for analysing social support and social anchorage of single mothers’ personal networks," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 51(2), pages 779-797, March.
    6. Amanda Geller & Ellis Monk, 2019. "Race, Skin Tone, and Police Contact Among Contemporary Teens," Working Papers wp19-07-ff, Princeton University, School of Public and International Affairs, Center for Research on Child Wellbeing..
    7. Allison Dwyer Emory, 2019. "Unintended Consequences: Protective State Policies and the Employment of Fathers with Criminal Records," Working Papers wp19-04-ff, Princeton University, School of Public and International Affairs, Center for Research on Child Wellbeing..
    8. Jenny Gierveld & Pearl A. Dykstra & Niels Schenk, 2012. "Living arrangements, intergenerational support types and older adult loneliness in Eastern and Western Europe," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 27(7), pages 167-200.
    9. Julia S. Goldberg, 2011. "Identity Salience and Involvement among Resident and Nonresident Fathers," Working Papers 1323, Princeton University, School of Public and International Affairs, Center for Research on Child Wellbeing..
    10. Ronald Mincy & Jennifer Hill & Marilyn Sinkewicz, 2009. "Marriage: Cause or mere indicator of future earnings growth?," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 28(3), pages 417-439.
    11. Damiano Fiorillo & Giuseppe Lubrano Lavadera & Nunzia Nappo, 2020. "Individual Heterogeneity in the Association Between Social Participation and Self-rated Health: A Panel Study on BHPS," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 151(2), pages 645-667, September.
    12. Natasha V. Pilkauskas, 2012. "Instability in Three-Generation Family Households and Child Wellbeing," Working Papers 1429, Princeton University, School of Public and International Affairs, Center for Research on Child Wellbeing..
    13. McGovern, Mark E. & Rokicki, Slawa & Reichman, Nancy E., 2022. "Maternal depression and economic well-being: A quasi-experimental approach," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 305(C).
    14. repec:pri:crcwel:wp08-15-ff is not listed on IDEAS
    15. Kelly Noonan & Nancy E. Reichman & Hope Corman & Dhaval Dave, 2007. "Prenatal drug use and the production of infant health," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 16(4), pages 361-384, April.
    16. Daniel Graeber, 2017. "Does More Education Protect against Mental Health Problems?," DIW Roundup: Politik im Fokus 113, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research.
    17. Zihan Cai & Ming Lu, 2018. "Social Integration Measurement of Inhabitants in Historic Blocks: The Case of Harbin, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(8), pages 1-19, August.
    18. Kathryn M. Leifheit & Gabriel L. Schwartz & Craig E. Pollack & Kathryn J. Edin & Maureen M. Black & Jacky M. Jennings & Keri N. Althoff, 2020. "Severe Housing Insecurity during Pregnancy: Association with Adverse Birth and Infant Outcomes," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(22), pages 1-12, November.
    19. Maria Pavlova & Rainer Silbereisen & Kamil Sijko, 2014. "Social Participation in Poland: Links to Emotional Well-Being and Risky Alcohol Consumption," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 117(1), pages 29-44, May.
    20. repec:pri:crcwel:wp12-10-ff is not listed on IDEAS
    21. Liping Ye & Xinping Zhang, 2021. "The association mechanism between social network types and health‐related behaviours among the elderly in rural Hubei Province, China," International Journal of Health Planning and Management, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 36(3), pages 826-846, May.
    22. Kanbur, Ravi & Fleurbaey, Marc & Viney, Brody, 2020. "Social Externalities and Economic Analysis," CEPR Discussion Papers 15179, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.

    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:76:y:2013:i:c:p:28-38. 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.