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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

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  • Krieger, N.
  • Chen, J.T.
  • Coull, B.
  • Waterman, P.D.
  • Beckfield, J.

Abstract

Objectives. We explored associations between the abolition of Jim Crow laws (i.e., state laws legalizing racial discrimination overturned by the 1964 US Civil Rights Act) and birth cohort trends in infant death rates. Methods. We analyzed 1959 to 2006 US Black and White infant death rates within and across sets of states (polities) with and without Jim Crow laws. Results. Between 1965 and 1969, a unique convergence of Black infant death rates occurred across polities; in 1960 to 1964, the Black infant death rate was 1.19 times higher (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.18, 1.20) in the Jim Crow polity than in the non-Jim Crow polity, whereas in 1970 to 1974 the rate ratio shrank to and remained at approximately 1 (with the 95% CI including 1) until 2000, when it rose to 1.10 (95% CI = 1.08, 1.12). No such convergence occurred for Black-White differences in infant death rates or for White infants. Conclusions. Our results suggest that abolition of Jim Crow laws affected US Black infant death rates and that valid analysis of societal determinants of health requires appropriate comparison groups.

Suggested Citation

  • 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.
    • Handle: RePEc:aph:ajpbhl:10.2105/ajph.2013.301350_2
    DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2013.301350
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    1. Philbin, Morgan M. & Flake, Morgan & Hatzenbuehler, Mark L. & Hirsch, Jennifer S., 2018. "State-level immigration and immigrant-focused policies as drivers of Latino health disparities in the United States," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 199(C), pages 29-38.
    2. 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.
    3. Jahn, Jaquelyn L. & Chen, Jarvis T. & Agénor, Madina & Krieger, Nancy, 2020. "County-level jail incarceration and preterm birth among non-Hispanic Black and white U.S. women, 1999–2015," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 250(C).
    4. Hswen, Yulin & Qin, Qiuyuan & Williams, David R. & Viswanath, K. & Brownstein, John S. & Subramanian, S.V., 2020. "The relationship between Jim Crow laws and social capital from 1997–2014: A 3-level multilevel hierarchical analysis across time, county and state," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 262(C).
    5. Miller, Michael & Toffolutti, Veronica & Reeves, Aaron, 2018. "The enduring influence of institutions on universal health coverage: An empirical investigation of 62 former colonies," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 111(C), pages 270-287.
    6. Bambra, Clare & Smith, Katherine E. & Pearce, Jamie, 2019. "Scaling up: The politics of health and place," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 232(C), pages 36-42.
    7. Umar Z Ikram & Davide Malmusi & Knud Juel & Grégoire Rey & Anton E Kunst, 2015. "Association between Integration Policies and Immigrants’ Mortality: An Explorative Study across Three European Countries," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 10(6), pages 1-14, June.
    8. Solazzo, Alexa & Brown, Tony N. & Gorman, Bridget K., 2018. "State-level climate, anti-discrimination law, and sexual minority health status: An ecological study," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 196(C), pages 158-165.
    9. Hatzenbuehler, Mark L. & Prins, Seth J. & Flake, Morgan & Philbin, Morgan & Frazer, M. Somjen & Hagen, Daniel & Hirsch, Jennifer, 2017. "Immigration policies and mental health morbidity among Latinos: A state-level analysis," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 174(C), pages 169-178.
    10. Whitney S. Rice & Katie Labgold & Quita Tinsley Peterson & Megan Higdon & Oriaku Njoku, 2021. "Sociodemographic and Service Use Characteristics of Abortion Fund Cases from Six States in the U.S. Southeast," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(7), pages 1-16, April.
    11. 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.
    12. 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).

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