Segregation, the Concentration of Poverty, and Birth Weight

In this analysis we connect neighborhood conditions to birth outcomes through their intermediate effects on allostatic load. We hypothesize that neighborhood poverty and racial isolation combine to produce unsafe environments which raise allostatic load and thereby increase the likelihood of negative coping behaviors (substance abuse) while lowering the odds of health-promoting behaviors (prenatal visits to a health professional). We expect these behaviors, in turn, to produce lower birth weights. Using data from the Fragile Families Study we find substantial support for this hypothesized sequence of events. The two greatest direct effects on birth weight are risky behavior and racial isolation. Neighborhood poverty and prenatal care have small but significant direct effects. Though neighborhood safety?our hypothesized indicator for allostatic load?has no significant direct effect on birth weight, it has small, significant indirect effects by raising the likelihood of risky behavior and by lowering the odds of prenatal care.