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The effects of race, residence, and prenatal care on the relationship of maternal age to neonatal mortality

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  • Geronimus, A.T.

Abstract

This population-based study explores whether excessive neonatal mortality rates (NMRs) among infants with teenage mothers are attributable to young maternal age or to a translation of environmental disadvantage into reproductive disadvantage. First births from the 1976-79 linked birth and infant death registers for three states are analyzed. The data set is sufficiently large (305,907 births) to measure maternal age in fine gradations while including several control variables in logit analyses. The associations of racial identification and prenatal care with low birthweight, short gestation, and neonatal mortality overshadow and confound the association between teenage and poor outcome. At every maternal age, higher NMRs are observed for Blacks compared to Whites. The hypothesis that excessive neonatal mortality among Blacks is due to the greater frequency of teenage childbearing among Blacks is refuted. Indeed, unlike White, Black primiparae above age 23 experience higher NMRs than most Black or White teenagers. These results suggest that teenage maternity is not the primary causal agent of all of the problems with which it is associated.

Suggested Citation

  • Geronimus, A.T., 1986. "The effects of race, residence, and prenatal care on the relationship of maternal age to neonatal mortality," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 76(12), pages 1416-1421.
    • Handle: RePEc:aph:ajpbhl:1986:76:12:1416-1421_7
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    Cited by:

    1. Arline Geronimus & John Bound, 1990. "Black/white differences in women’s reproductive-related health status: evidence from vital statistics," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 27(3), pages 457-466, August.
    2. Arline T. Geronimus & Sanders Korenman, 1991. "The Socioeconomic Consequences of Teen Childbearing Reconsidered," NBER Working Papers 3701, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    3. Daniel Powers, 2013. "Paradox Revisited: A Further Investigation of Racial/Ethnic Differences in Infant Mortality by Maternal Age," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 50(2), pages 495-520, April.
    4. Isaac Eberstein & Charles Nam & Robert Hummer, 1990. "Infant Mortality by Cause of Death: Main and Interaction Effects," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 27(3), pages 413-430, August.
    5. Christine Peterson & Julie DaVanzo, 1992. "Why are teenagers in the United States less likely to breast-feed than older women?," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 29(3), pages 431-450, August.
    6. Peter Congdon, 2001. "Predicting adverse infant health outcomes using routine screening variables: Modelling the impact of interdependent risk factors," Journal of Applied Statistics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 28(2), pages 183-197.
    7. Arline Geronimus & Sanders Korenman, 1988. "Comment on Pampel and Pillai’s “patterns and determinants of infant mortality in developed nations, 1950–1975”," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 25(1), pages 155-158, February.

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