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Sealy-Jefferson S, Jackson B, Francis B. Neighborhood eviction trajectories and odds of moderate and serious psychological distress during pregnancy among African American women. Am J Epidemiol 2024; 193:968-975. [PMID: 38518207 PMCID: PMC11228836 DOI: 10.1093/aje/kwae025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2023] [Revised: 02/19/2024] [Accepted: 03/19/2024] [Indexed: 03/24/2024] Open
Abstract
African American mothers are unjustly burdened by both residential evictions and psychological distress. We quantified associations between trajectories of neighborhood evictions over time and the odds of moderate and serious psychological distress (MPD and SPD, respectively) during pregnancy among African American women. We linked publicly available data on neighborhood eviction filing and judgment rates to preconception and during-pregnancy addresses from the Life-course Influences on Fetal Environments (LIFE) Study (2009-2011; n = 808). Multinomial logistic regression-estimated odds of MPD and SPD during pregnancy that were associated with eviction filing and judgment rate trajectories incorporating preconception and during-pregnancy addresses (each categorized as low, medium, or high, with two 9-category trajectory measures). Psychological distress was measured with the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K6) (K6 scores 5-12 = MPD, and K6 scores ≥13 = SPD). MPD was reported in 60% of the sample and SPD in 8%. In adjusted models, higher neighborhood eviction filing and judgment rates, as compared with low/low rates, during the preconception and pregnancy periods were associated with 2- to 4-fold higher odds of both MPD and SPD during pregnancy among African American women. In future studies, researchers should identify mechanisms of these findings to inform timely community-based interventions and effective policy solutions to ensure the basic human right to housing for all. This article is part of a Special Collection on Mental Health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shawnita Sealy-Jefferson
- Division of Epidemiology, College of Public Health, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, United States
| | - Benita Jackson
- Department of Psychology, Smith College, Northampton, MA 01063, United States
| | - Brittney Francis
- FXB Center for Health and Human Rights, Harvard University, Boston, MA 02115, United States
- Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, United States
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Basile-Ibrahim B, Combellick J, Mead TL, Sorensen A, Batten J, Schafer R. The Social Context of Pregnancy, Respectful Maternity Care, Biomarkers of Weathering, and Postpartum Mental Health Inequities: A Scoping Review. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2024; 21:480. [PMID: 38673391 PMCID: PMC11049830 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph21040480] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2024] [Revised: 04/05/2024] [Accepted: 04/11/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024]
Abstract
Background: Mental health disorders are the number one cause of maternal mortality and a significant maternal morbidity. This scoping review sought to understand the associations between social context and experiences during pregnancy and birth, biological indicators of stress and weathering, and perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs). Methods: A scoping review was performed using PRISMA-ScR guidance and JBI scoping review methodology. The search was conducted in OVID Medline and Embase. Results: This review identified 74 eligible English-language peer-reviewed original research articles. A majority of studies reported significant associations between social context, negative and stressful experiences in the prenatal period, and a higher incidence of diagnosis and symptoms of PMADs. Included studies reported significant associations between postpartum depression and prenatal stressors (n = 17), socioeconomic disadvantage (n = 14), negative birth experiences (n = 9), obstetric violence (n = 3), and mistreatment by maternity care providers (n = 3). Birth-related post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was positively associated with negative birth experiences (n = 11), obstetric violence (n = 1), mistreatment by the maternity care team (n = 1), socioeconomic disadvantage (n = 2), and prenatal stress (n = 1); and inverse association with supportiveness of the maternity care team (n = 5) and presence of a birth companion or doula (n = 4). Postpartum anxiety was significantly associated with negative birth experiences (n = 2) and prenatal stress (n = 3). Findings related to associations between biomarkers of stress and weathering, perinatal exposures, and PMADs (n = 14) had mixed significance. Conclusions: Postpartum mental health outcomes are linked with the prenatal social context and interactions with the maternity care team during pregnancy and birth. Respectful maternity care has the potential to reduce adverse postpartum mental health outcomes, especially for persons affected by systemic oppression.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Joan Combellick
- School of Nursing, Yale University, Orange, CT 06477, USA; (J.C.)
| | - Thomas L. Mead
- Biomedical Libraries, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755, USA;
| | - Alee Sorensen
- School of Nursing, Yale University, Orange, CT 06477, USA; (J.C.)
| | - Janene Batten
- Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06510, USA;
| | - Robyn Schafer
- Division of Advanced Nursing Practice, School of Nursing, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ 07107, USA;
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA
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Bustos B, Lopez M, Dodge KA, Lansford JE, Copeland WE, Odgers CL, Bruckner TA. Family cash transfers in childhood and birthing persons and birth outcomes later in life. SSM Popul Health 2024; 25:101623. [PMID: 38420110 PMCID: PMC10899058 DOI: 10.1016/j.ssmph.2024.101623] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2023] [Revised: 02/05/2024] [Accepted: 02/07/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Much literature in the US documents an intergenerational transmission of birthing person and perinatal morbidity in socioeconomically disadvantaged groups. A separate line of work indicates that family cash transfers may improve life chances of low-income families well into adulthood. By exploiting a quasi-random natural experiment of a large family cash transfer among a southeastern American Indian (AI) tribe in rural North Carolina, we examine whether a "perturbation" in socioeconomic status during childhood improves birthing person/perinatal outcomes when they become parents themselves. We acquired birth records on 6805 AI and non-AI infants born from 1995 to 2018. Regression methods to examine effect modification tested whether the birthing person's American Indian (AI) status and exposure to the family cash transfer during their childhood years corresponds with improvements in birthing person and perinatal outcomes. Findings show an increase in age at childbearing (coef: 0.15 years, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.05, 0.25) and a decrease in pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI; coef: -0.42, 95% CI: -0.76, -0.09) with increased duration of cash transfer exposure during childhood. The odds of large-for-gestational age at delivery, as well as mean infant birthweight, is also reduced among AI births whose birthing person had relatively longer duration of exposure to the cash transfer. We, however, observe no relation with other birthing person/perinatal outcomes (e.g., tobacco use during pregnancy, preterm birth). In this rural AI population, cash transfers in one generation correspond with improved birthing person and infant health in the next generation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brenda Bustos
- Program in Public Health, University of California, Irvine, 856 Health Sciences Quad Irvine, CA, 92697, USA
| | - Marcela Lopez
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, Irvine, 856 Health Sciences Quad Irvine, CA, 92697, USA
| | - Kenneth A. Dodge
- Sanford School of Public Policy, Duke University, 201 Science Drive, Durham, NC, 27708, USA
| | - Jennifer E. Lansford
- Sanford School of Public Policy, Duke University, 201 Science Drive, Durham, NC, 27708, USA
| | - William E. Copeland
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Vermont, 1 South Prospect, Burlington, VT, 05405, USA
| | - Candice L. Odgers
- School of Social Ecology, University of California, Irvine, 4326 Social & Behavioral Sciences Gateway, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA
| | - Tim A. Bruckner
- Program in Public Health, University of California, Irvine, 856 Health Sciences Quad Irvine, CA, 92697, USA
- Center for Population, Inequality, and Policy, University of California, Irvine, School of Social Sciences, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA
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Francis B, Pearl M, Colen C, Shoben A, Sealy-Jefferson S. Racial and Economic Segregation Over the Life Course and Incident Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy Among Black Women in California. Am J Epidemiol 2024; 193:277-284. [PMID: 37771041 PMCID: PMC11031219 DOI: 10.1093/aje/kwad192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2022] [Revised: 07/24/2023] [Accepted: 09/26/2023] [Indexed: 09/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Black women in the United States have the highest incidence of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) and are disproportionately burdened by its adverse sequalae, compared with women of all racial and ethnic groups. Segregation, a key driver of structural racism for Black families, can provide information critical to understanding these disparities. We examined the association between racial and economic segregation at 2 points and incident HDP using intergenerationally linked birth records of 45,204 Black California-born primiparous mothers (born 1982-1997) and their infants (born 1997-2011), with HDP ascertained from hospital discharge records. Women's early childhood and adulthood neighborhoods were categorized as deprived, mixed, or privileged based on the Index of Concentration at the Extremes (a measure of concentrated racial and economic segregation), yielding 9 life-course trajectories. Women living in deprived neighborhoods at both time points experienced the highest odds of HDP (from mixed effect logistic regression, unadjusted odds ratio = 1.26, 95% confidence interval: 1.13, 1.40) compared with women living in privileged neighborhoods at both time points. All trajectories involving residence in a deprived neighborhood in early childhood or adulthood were associated with increased odds of HDP, whereas mixed-privileged and privileged-mixed trajectories were not. Future studies should assess the causal nature of these associations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brittney Francis
- Correspondence to Dr. Brittney Francis, 651 Huntington Avenue, Floor 7, Boston, MA 02115 (e-mail: )
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Vu C, Arcaya MC, Kawachi I, Williams DR. In Search of the Promised Land: County-Level Disadvantage and Low Birth Weight among Black Mothers of the Great Migration. J Urban Health 2023; 100:1093-1101. [PMID: 37580548 PMCID: PMC10728401 DOI: 10.1007/s11524-023-00778-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/19/2023] [Indexed: 08/16/2023]
Abstract
The Great Migration was a movement of roughly eight million Black Southerners relocating to the North and West from 1910 to 1980. Despite being one of the most significant mass internal migrations during the twentieth century, little is known about the health outcomes resulting from migration and whether migrators' destination choices were potential mechanisms. This study measured the association between destination county disadvantage and odds of low birth weight during the last decade of the Great Migration. We used the US Census from 1970 as well as the birth records of first-time Black mothers who migrated from the South collected through the National Center of Health Statistics from 1973 to 1980 (n = 154,145). We examined three measures of area-based opportunity: Black male high school graduation rate, Black poverty rate, and racialized economic residential segregation. We used multilevel logistic regression, where mothers were nested within US counties, to quantify the relationship between county disadvantage and low birth weight. After adjusting for individual risk and protective factors for infant health, there was no relationship between county opportunity measures and low birth weight among migrators. Although high socioeconomic opportunity is typically associated with protection of low birth weight, we did not see these outcomes in this study. These results may support that persistent racial discrimination encountered in the North inhibited infant health even as migrators experienced higher economic opportunity relative to the South.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cecilia Vu
- Center for Antiracist Research, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA.
- Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Mariana C Arcaya
- Department of Urban Studies, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Ichiro Kawachi
- Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - David R Williams
- Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of African and African American Studies, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
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Dunlop AL, Burjak M, Dean LT, Alshawabkeh AN, Avalos LA, Aschner JL, Breton CV, Charifson MA, Cordero J, Dabelea D, D’Sa V, Duarte CS, Elliott AJ, Eick SM, Ferrara A, Fichorova RN, Ganiban JM, Gern JE, Hedderson MM, Herbstman JB, Hipwell AE, Huddleston KC, Karagas M, Karr C, Kerver JM, Koinis-Mitchell D, Lyall K, Madan J, Marsit C, McEvoy CT, Meeker JD, Oken E, O’Shea TM, Padula AM, Sathyanarayana S, Schantz S, Schmidt RJ, Snowden J, Stanford JB, Weiss S, Wright RO, Wright RJ, Zhang X, McGrath M. Association of maternal education, neighborhood deprivation, and racial segregation with gestational age at birth by maternal race/ethnicity and United States Census region in the ECHO cohorts. Front Public Health 2023; 11:1165089. [PMID: 38098826 PMCID: PMC10719953 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1165089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2023] [Accepted: 10/13/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Background In the United States, disparities in gestational age at birth by maternal race, ethnicity, and geography are theorized to be related, in part, to differences in individual- and neighborhood-level socioeconomic status (SES). Yet, few studies have examined their combined effects or whether associations vary by maternal race and ethnicity and United States Census region. Methods We assembled data from 34 cohorts in the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) program representing 10,304 participants who delivered a liveborn, singleton infant from 2000 through 2019. We investigated the combined associations of maternal education level, neighborhood deprivation index (NDI), and Index of Concentration at the Extremes for racial residential segregation (ICERace) on gestational weeks at birth using linear regression and on gestational age at birth categories (preterm, early term, post-late term relative to full term) using multinomial logistic regression. Results After adjustment for NDI and ICERace, gestational weeks at birth was significantly lower among those with a high school diploma or less (-0.31 weeks, 95% CI: -0.44, -0.18), and some college (-0.30 weeks, 95% CI: -0.42, -0.18) relative to a master's degree or higher. Those with a high school diploma or less also had an increased odds of preterm (aOR 1.59, 95% CI: 1.20, 2.10) and early term birth (aOR 1.26, 95% CI: 1.05, 1.51). In adjusted models, NDI quartile and ICERace quartile were not associated with gestational weeks at birth. However, higher NDI quartile (most deprived) associated with an increased odds of early term and late term birth, and lower ICERace quartile (least racially privileged) associated with a decreased odds of late or post-term birth. When stratifying by region, gestational weeks at birth was lower among those with a high school education or less and some college only among those living in the Northeast or Midwest. When stratifying by race and ethnicity, gestational weeks at birth was lower among those with a high school education or less only for the non-Hispanic White category. Conclusion In this study, maternal education was consistently associated with shorter duration of pregnancy and increased odds of preterm birth, including in models adjusted for NDI and ICERace.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne L. Dunlop
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Mohamad Burjak
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Lorraine T. Dean
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Akram N. Alshawabkeh
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Lyndsay A. Avalos
- Division of Research, Kaiser Permanente Northern California, Oakland, CA, United States
| | - Judy L. Aschner
- Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, United States
- Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, Nutley, NJ, United States
| | - Carrie V. Breton
- Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Mia A. Charifson
- Division of Epidemiology, New York University Langone Health Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - Jose Cordero
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Georgia College of Public Health, Athens, GA, United States
| | - Dana Dabelea
- Lifecourse Epidemiology of Adiposity and Diabetes Center, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, United States
| | - Viren D’Sa
- Department of Pediatrics, Rhode Island Hospital and The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, United States
| | - Cristiane S. Duarte
- Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Columbia University-New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, United States
| | - Amy J. Elliott
- Avera Research Institute, Department of Pediatrics, University of South Dakota School of Medicine, Sioux Falls, SD, United States
| | - Stephanie M. Eick
- Gangarosa Department of Environmental Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Assiamira Ferrara
- Division of Research, Kaiser Permanente Northern California, Oakland, CA, United States
| | - Raina N. Fichorova
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Biology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Jody M. Ganiban
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, George Washington University, Washington, DC, United States
| | - James E. Gern
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Monique M. Hedderson
- Division of Research, Kaiser Permanente Northern California, Oakland, CA, United States
| | - Julie B. Herbstman
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, NY, United States
| | - Alison E. Hipwell
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Kathi C. Huddleston
- College of Health and Human Services, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, United States
| | - Margaret Karagas
- Department of Epidemiology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, United States
| | - Catherine Karr
- Departments of Pediatrics and Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Jean M. Kerver
- Departments of Epidemiology and Biostatistics and Pediatrics and Human Development, College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States
| | - Daphne Koinis-Mitchell
- Department of Pediatrics, Rhode Island Hospital and The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, United States
| | - Kristen Lyall
- AJ Drexel Autism Institute, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Juliette Madan
- Department of Epidemiology, Pediatrics and Psychiatry, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, United States
| | - Carmen Marsit
- Gangarosa Department of Environmental Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Cindy T. McEvoy
- Department of Pediatrics, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, United States
| | - John D. Meeker
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
| | - Emily Oken
- Division of Chronic Disease Research Across the Lifecourse, Department of Population Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, Boston, MA, United States
| | - T. Michael O’Shea
- Department of Pediatrics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
| | - Amy M. Padula
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Sheela Sathyanarayana
- Departments of Pediatrics and Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Susan Schantz
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States
| | - Rebecca J. Schmidt
- Department of Public Health Sciences, MIND Institute, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
| | - Jessica Snowden
- Departments of Pediatrics and Biostatistics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, United States
| | - Joseph B. Stanford
- Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT, United States
| | - Scott Weiss
- Department of Medicine, Harvard School of Medicine, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Robert O. Wright
- Department of Pediatrics, The Kravis Children’s Hospital, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States
- Institute for Exposomic Research, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States
| | - Rosalind J. Wright
- Department of Pediatrics, The Kravis Children’s Hospital, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States
- Institute for Exposomic Research, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States
| | - Xueying Zhang
- Department of Pediatrics, The Kravis Children’s Hospital, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States
- Institute for Exposomic Research, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States
| | - Monica McGrath
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, United States
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Smith MJ, Phillips RV, Luque-Fernandez MA, Maringe C. Application of targeted maximum likelihood estimation in public health and epidemiological studies: a systematic review. Ann Epidemiol 2023; 86:34-48.e28. [PMID: 37343734 DOI: 10.1016/j.annepidem.2023.06.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2023] [Revised: 05/24/2023] [Accepted: 06/06/2023] [Indexed: 06/23/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE The targeted maximum likelihood estimation (TMLE) statistical data analysis framework integrates machine learning, statistical theory, and statistical inference to provide a least biased, efficient, and robust strategy for estimation and inference of a variety of statistical and causal parameters. We describe and evaluate the epidemiological applications that have benefited from recent methodological developments. METHODS We conducted a systematic literature review in PubMed for articles that applied any form of TMLE in observational studies. We summarized the epidemiological discipline, geographical location, expertize of the authors, and TMLE methods over time. We used the Roadmap of Targeted Learning and Causal Inference to extract key methodological aspects of the publications. We showcase the contributions to the literature of these TMLE results. RESULTS Of the 89 publications included, 33% originated from the University of California at Berkeley, where the framework was first developed by Professor Mark van der Laan. By 2022, 59% of the publications originated from outside the United States and explored up to seven different epidemiological disciplines in 2021-2022. Double-robustness, bias reduction, and model misspecification were the main motivations that drew researchers toward the TMLE framework. Through time, a wide variety of methodological, tutorial, and software-specific articles were cited, owing to the constant growth of methodological developments around TMLE. CONCLUSIONS There is a clear dissemination trend of the TMLE framework to various epidemiological disciplines and to increasing numbers of geographical areas. The availability of R packages, publication of tutorial papers, and involvement of methodological experts in applied publications have contributed to an exponential increase in the number of studies that understood the benefits and adoption of TMLE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew J Smith
- Inequalities in Cancer Outcomes Network, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
| | - Rachael V Phillips
- Division of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA
| | - Miguel Angel Luque-Fernandez
- Inequalities in Cancer Outcomes Network, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK; Department of Statistics and Operations Research, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Camille Maringe
- Inequalities in Cancer Outcomes Network, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
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Gao X, Thomas TA, Morello-Frosch R, Allen AM, Snowden JM, Carmichael SL, Mujahid MS. Neighborhood gentrification, displacement, and severe maternal morbidity in California. Soc Sci Med 2023; 334:116196. [PMID: 37678111 PMCID: PMC10959124 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2023.116196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2023] [Revised: 06/29/2023] [Accepted: 08/29/2023] [Indexed: 09/09/2023]
Abstract
Gentrification, a racialized and profit-driven process in which historically disinvested neighborhoods experience an influx of development that contributes to the improvement of physical amenities, increasing housing costs, and the dispossession and displacement of existing communities, may influence the risk of severe maternal morbidity (SMM). Leveraging a racially diverse population-based sample of all live hospital births in California between 2006 and 2017, we examined associations between neighborhood-level gentrification and SMM. SMM was defined as having one of 21 procedures and diagnoses, as described in the SMM index developed by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. We compared three gentrification measures to determine which operationalization best captures aspects of gentrification most salient to SMM: Freeman, Landis 3-D, and Urban Displacement Project Gentrification and Displacement Typology. Descriptive analysis assessed bivariate associations between gentrification and birthing people's characteristics. Overall and race and ethnicity-stratified mixed-effects logistic models assessed associations between gentrification and SMM, adjusting for individual sociodemographic and pregnancy factors while accounting for clustering by census tract. The study sample included 5,256,905 births, with 72,718 cases of SMM (1.4%). The percentage of individuals living in a gentrifying neighborhood ranged from 5.7% to 11.7% across exposure assessment methods. Net of individual and pregnancy-related factors, neighborhood-level gentrification, as measured by the Freeman method, was protective against SMM (OR = 0.89, 95% CI: 0.86-0.93); in comparison, gentrification, as measured by the Gentrification and Displacement Typology, was associated with greater risk of SMM (OR = 1.18, 95% CI: 1.14-1.23). These associations were significant among non-Hispanic White, non-Hispanic Black, and Hispanic individuals. Findings demonstrate that gentrification plays a role in shaping the risk of SMM among birthing people in California. Differences in how gentrification is conceptualized and measured, such as an emphasis on housing affordability compared to a broader characterization of gentrification's multiple aspects, may explain the heterogeneity in the directions of observed associations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xing Gao
- Division of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Timothy A Thomas
- Urban Displacement Project, Institute of Governmental Studies, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Rachel Morello-Frosch
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA; Division of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA; Division of Community Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Amani M Allen
- Division of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA; Division of Community Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Jonathan M Snowden
- School of Public Health, Oregon Health & Science University-Portland State University, OR, USA
| | - Suzan L Carmichael
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatal & Developmental Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA; Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Mahasin S Mujahid
- Division of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.
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Tung I, Keenan K, Hipwell AE. Adolescent Mothers' Psychological Wellbeing during Pregnancy and Infant Emotional Health. JOURNAL OF CLINICAL CHILD AND ADOLESCENT PSYCHOLOGY : THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL FOR THE SOCIETY OF CLINICAL CHILD AND ADOLESCENT PSYCHOLOGY, AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION, DIVISION 53 2023; 52:616-632. [PMID: 34605721 PMCID: PMC8977390 DOI: 10.1080/15374416.2021.1981339] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Although many studies have identified risk factors for adolescent pregnancy, much less is known about factors that support pregnant adolescents' psychological wellbeing and offspring outcomes. This study drew on strength-based frameworks to investigate family and neighborhood factors linked to social connectedness that predict psychological wellbeing during adolescent pregnancy and offspring outcomes. METHOD Participants included 135 adolescent mothers (ages 14-21; 90% Black American) assessed annually since childhood as part of a longitudinal study. During preadolescence (ages 11-13), data on contextual stressors and neighborhood support were gathered from participants' caregivers; participants also rated their perceived trust/attachment with caregivers before and during pregnancy. To assess changes in psychological wellbeing, adolescents reported positive and depressed mood before and during pregnancy. A path analysis model tested the prospective associations between family and neighborhood factors, psychological wellbeing during pregnancy, and offspring outcomes (birth outcomes; observed infant positive/negative emotions at age 3-months). RESULTS Positive mood decreased from pre-pregnancy to pregnancy, whereas depressed mood remained stable. Adjusting for pre-pregnancy mood, perceived caregiver trust/attachment during pregnancy was associated with prenatal positive mood. Prenatal positive mood, in turn, reduced risk of preterm birth and indirectly predicted positive infant emotions via birth outcomes. Neighborhood support in preadolescence predicted lower prenatal depressed mood, but depressed mood did not predict infant outcomes beyond positive mood. Contextual life stress was not associated with prenatal mood after adjusting for family and neighborhood support. CONCLUSIONS Findings highlight changes in positive-valence emotions during adolescent pregnancy that may have unique associations with birth outcomes and offspring emotions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irene Tung
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
| | - Kate Keenan
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL
| | - Alison E. Hipwell
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
- Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
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Vu C, Arcaya M, Kawachi I, Williams DR. Moving to opportunity? Low birth weight outcomes among Southern-born Black mothers during the Great Migration. Soc Sci Med 2023; 328:115983. [PMID: 37271080 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2023.115983] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2022] [Revised: 03/05/2023] [Accepted: 05/21/2023] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The Great Migration was a mass movement in the United States during the twentieth century of roughly eight million Black Southerners to the Northeast, Midwest, and West. Despite its significance, little is known about the health outcomes associated with this internal migration. This study assessed the relationship between migration and low birth weight among mothers born in the South between 1950 and 1969. METHODS We used approximately 1.4 million birth records of Black infants maintained by the US National Center for Health Statistics. To tease out the roles of the healthy migrant bias and of destination contexts, we compared two migration groups to Southern non-migrators: (1) migrators moving to the North and (2) migrators moving within the South. Non-migrants were matched to migrants using coarsened exact matching. We estimated the relationship between migration status and low birth weight stratified by birth year cohorts using logistic regression models. RESULTS There was positive selection in education and marriage among migrants moving out of the South and within the South. Results showed lower odds of low birth weight in both migration groups compared to Southern non-migrants. The odds ratios of low birth weight were similar in both comparisons. CONCLUSION We found evidence consistent with a healthy migrant bias in infant health among mothers during the last decades of the Great Migration. Despite better economic opportunity, migrating to the North may not have offered additional protection for infant birth weight outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cecilia Vu
- Center for Antiracist Research, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Heath, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Mariana Arcaya
- Department of Urban Studies at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
| | - Ichiro Kawachi
- Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Heath, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - David R Williams
- Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Heath, Boston, MA, USA; Department of African and African American Studies, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.
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11
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Sullivan BA, Doshi A, Chernyavskiy P, Husain A, Binai A, Sahni R, Fairchild KD, Moorman JR, Travers CP, Vesoulis ZA. Neighborhood Deprivation and Association With Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Mortality and Morbidity for Extremely Premature Infants. JAMA Netw Open 2023; 6:e2311761. [PMID: 37166800 PMCID: PMC10176121 DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.11761] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2022] [Accepted: 03/20/2023] [Indexed: 05/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Importance Socioeconomic status affects pregnancy and neurodevelopment, but its association with hospital outcomes among premature infants is unknown. The Area Deprivation Index (ADI) is a validated measure of neighborhood disadvantage that uses US Census Bureau data on income, educational level, employment, and housing quality. Objective To determine whether ADI is associated with neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) mortality and morbidity in extremely premature infants. Design, Setting, and Participants This retrospective cohort study was performed at 4 level IV NICUs in the US Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, and South regions. Non-Hispanic White and Black infants with gestational age of less than 29 weeks and born between January 1, 2012, and December 31, 2020, were included in the analysis. Addresses were converted to census blocks, identified by Federal Information Processing Series codes, to link residences to national ADI percentiles. Exposures ADI, race, birth weight, sex, and outborn status. Main Outcomes and Measures In the primary outcome, the association between ADI and NICU mortality was analyzed using bayesian logistic regression adjusted for race, birth weight, outborn status, and sex. Risk factors were considered significant if the 95% credible intervals excluded zero. In the secondary outcome, the association between ADI and NICU morbidities, including late-onset sepsis, necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), and severe intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH), were also analyzed. Results A total of 2765 infants with a mean (SD) gestational age of 25.6 (1.7) weeks and mean (SD) birth weight of 805 (241) g were included in the analysis. Of these, 1391 (50.3%) were boys, 1325 (47.9%) reported Black maternal race, 498 (18.0%) died before NICU discharge, 692 (25.0%) developed sepsis or NEC, and 353 (12.8%) had severe IVH. In univariate analysis, higher median ADI was found among Black compared with White infants (77 [IQR, 45-93] vs 57 [IQR, 32-77]; P < .001), those who died before NICU discharge vs survived (71 [IQR, 45-89] vs 64 [IQR, 36-86]), those with late-onset sepsis or NEC vs those without (68 [IQR, 41-88] vs 64 [IQR, 35-86]), and those with severe IVH vs those without (69 [IQR, 44-90] vs 64 [IQR, 36-86]). In a multivariable bayesian logistic regression model, lower birth weight, higher ADI, and male sex were risk factors for mortality (95% credible intervals excluded zero), while Black race and outborn status were not. The ADI was also identified as a risk factor for sepsis or NEC and severe IVH. Conclusions and Relevance The findings of this cohort study of extremely preterm infants admitted to 4 NICUs in different US geographic regions suggest that ADI was a risk factor for mortality and morbidity after adjusting for multiple covariates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brynne A. Sullivan
- Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville
| | - Ayush Doshi
- currently a medical student at University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville
| | - Pavel Chernyavskiy
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville
| | - Ameena Husain
- Division of Newborn Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, Missouri
| | - Alexandra Binai
- Division of Newborn Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, Missouri
| | - Rakesh Sahni
- Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, New York
| | - Karen D. Fairchild
- Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, New York
| | - J. Randall Moorman
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville
| | - Colm P. Travers
- Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Alabama at Birmingham
| | - Zachary A. Vesoulis
- Division of Newborn Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, Missouri
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12
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Salazar EG, Montoya-Williams D, Passarella M, McGann C, Paul K, Murosko D, Peña MM, Ortiz R, Burris HH, Lorch SA, Handley SC. County-Level Maternal Vulnerability and Preterm Birth in the US. JAMA Netw Open 2023; 6:e2315306. [PMID: 37227724 PMCID: PMC10214038 DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.15306] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2023] [Accepted: 04/11/2023] [Indexed: 05/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Importance Appreciation for the effects of neighborhood conditions and community factors on perinatal health is increasing. However, community-level indices specific to maternal health and associations with preterm birth (PTB) have not been assessed. Objective To examine the association of the Maternal Vulnerability Index (MVI), a novel county-level index designed to quantify maternal vulnerability to adverse health outcomes, with PTB. Design, Setting, and Participants This retrospective cohort study used US Vital Statistics data from January 1 to December 31, 2018. Participants included 3 659 099 singleton births at 22 plus 0/7 to 44 plus 6/7 weeks of gestation born in the US. Analyses were conducted from December 1, 2021, through March 31, 2023. Exposure The MVI, a composite measure of 43 area-level indicators, categorized into 6 themes reflecting physical, social, and health care landscapes. Overall MVI and theme were stratified by quintile (very low to very high) by maternal county of residence. Main Outcomes and Measures The primary outcome was PTB (gestational age <37 weeks). Secondary outcomes were PTB categories: extreme (gestational age ≤28 weeks), very (gestational age 29-31 weeks), moderate (gestational age 32-33 weeks), and late (gestational age 34-36 weeks). Multivariable logistic regression quantified associations of MVI, overall and by theme, with PTB, overall and by PTB category. Results Among 3 659 099 births, 298 847 (8.2%) were preterm (male, 51.1%; female, 48.9%). Maternal race and ethnicity included 0.8% American Indian or Alaska Native, 6.8% Asian or Pacific Islander, 23.6% Hispanic, 14.5% non-Hispanic Black, 52.1% non-Hispanic White, and 2.2% with more than 1 race. Compared with full-term births, MVI was higher for PTBs across all themes. Very high MVI was associated with increased PTB in unadjusted (odds ratio [OR], 1.50 [95% CI, 1.45-1.56]) and adjusted (OR, 1.07 [95% CI, 1.01-1.13]) analyses. In adjusted analyses of PTB categories, MVI had the largest association with extreme PTB (adjusted OR, 1.18 [95% CI, 1.07-1.29]). Higher MVI in the themes of physical health, mental health and substance abuse, and general health care remained associated with PTB overall in adjusted models. While the physical health and socioeconomic determinant themes were associated with extreme PTB, physical health, mental health and substance abuse, and general health care themes were associated with late PTB. Conclusions and Relevance The findings of this cohort study suggest that MVI was associated with PTB even after adjustment for individual-level confounders. The MVI is a useful measure for county-level PTB risk that may have policy implications for counties working to lower preterm rates and improve perinatal outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth G. Salazar
- Division of Neonatology, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Diana Montoya-Williams
- Division of Neonatology, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Department of Pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Molly Passarella
- Division of Neonatology, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Carolyn McGann
- Division of Neonatology, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Department of Pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Kathryn Paul
- Division of Neonatology, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Daria Murosko
- Division of Neonatology, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Michelle-Marie Peña
- Division of Neonatology, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Emory University School of Medicine and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Robin Ortiz
- Department of Pediatrics, Institute for Excellence in Health Equity, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, New York
- Department of Population Health, Institute for Excellence in Health Equity, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, New York
| | - Heather H. Burris
- Division of Neonatology, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Department of Pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Scott A. Lorch
- Division of Neonatology, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Department of Pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Sara C. Handley
- Division of Neonatology, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Department of Pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
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13
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Using Collective Impact to Advance Birth Equity: A Comparison of Two Cross-Sector Efforts in California. Matern Child Health J 2022; 26:2517-2525. [PMID: 36348213 DOI: 10.1007/s10995-022-03528-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2021] [Revised: 07/24/2022] [Accepted: 09/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Preterm birth, defined as birth at gestational age before 37 weeks, is a major public health concern with marked racial disparities driven by underlying structural and social determinants of health. To achieve population-level reductions in preterm birth and to reduce racial inequities, the University of California, San Francisco's California Preterm Birth Initiative catalyzed two cross-sector coalitions in San Francisco and Fresno using the Collective Impact (CI) approach. PURPOSE The purpose of this study is to compare two preterm birth-focused CI efforts and identify common themes and lessons learned. METHODS Researchers conducted in-depth interviews (n = 19) and three focus groups (n = 20) with stakeholders to assess factors related to collaboration. Transcripts were coded and analyzed using modified grounded theory. Findings were compared by year of data collection (first and second cycle in each location) and geographic location (Fresno and San Francisco) and discussed with CI participants for input. RESULTS Although both communities adopted the core tenets of CI to address preterm birth and racial inequities, each employed distinct organizational structures, strategic frameworks, and interventions. Common themes emerged around the importance of authentic community engagement, transparency in the process of prioritization and decision-making, addressing racism as a root cause of disparities in birth outcomes, and candid communication among partners. CONCLUSION Future CI efforts, particularly those catalyzed by academic institutions, should ensure community members are active partners in program development and decision-making. CI efforts focused on combatting racial health inequities should center racism as a root cause and build capacity among coalition partners.
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14
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Berkowitz RL, Mujahid M, Pearl M, Poon V, Reid CK, Allen AM. Protective Places: the Relationship between Neighborhood Quality and Preterm Births to Black Women in Oakland, California (2007-2011). J Urban Health 2022; 99:492-505. [PMID: 35384585 PMCID: PMC9187821 DOI: 10.1007/s11524-022-00624-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Black women have the highest incidence of preterm birth (PTB). Upstream factors, including neighborhood context, may be key drivers of this increased risk. This study assessed the relationship between neighborhood quality, defined by the Healthy Places Index, and PTB among Black women who lived in Oakland, California, and gave birth between 2007 and 2011 (N = 5418 women, N = 107 census tracts). We found that, compared with those living in lower quality neighborhoods, women living in higher quality neighborhoods had 20-38% lower risk of PTB, independent of confounders. Findings have implications for place-based research and interventions to address racial inequities in PTB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel L. Berkowitz
- Department of Public Health and Recreation, College of Health and Human Sciences, San José State University, One Washington Square, San Jose, CA 95192-0052 USA
| | - Mahasin Mujahid
- School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, 2121 Berkeley Way, Room 5302, CA 94720-7360 Berkeley, USA
| | - Michelle Pearl
- Environmental Health Investigations Branch, California Department of Public Health, 850 Marina Bay Parkway, Building P, 3rd Floor, Richmond, CA 94804-6403 USA
| | - Victor Poon
- Environmental Health Investigations Branch, California Department of Public Health, 850 Marina Bay Parkway, Building P, 3rd Floor, Richmond, CA 94804-6403 USA
| | - Carolina K. Reid
- College of Environmental Design, University of California, 230 Bauer Wurster Hall #1820, Berkeley, CA 94720-1820 USA
| | - Amani M. Allen
- School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, 2121 Berkeley Way, Room 5302, CA 94720-7360 Berkeley, USA
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15
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Koning SM, Polos JA, Kershaw KN, McDade TW. Racial Inequities in Birth Weight by Maternal Age Among College-Educated Mothers: The Role of Early Disadvantage. Am J Prev Med 2022; 62:735-744. [PMID: 35183408 PMCID: PMC9035061 DOI: 10.1016/j.amepre.2021.12.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2021] [Revised: 12/03/2021] [Accepted: 12/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Non-Hispanic Black infants experience disproportionately high risks of low birth weight compared with non-Hispanic White infants, particularly among mothers with high educational attainment and greater socioeconomic advantage. This study investigates how maternal early-life disadvantage contributes to ongoing racial birth weight inequities among U.S. college‒educated mothers, specifically declining birth weights with age among non-Hispanic Black mothers. METHODS Study analyses used cohort data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health. Racial inequities in birth weight by maternal age and early-life disadvantage were assessed using completed reproductive histories among college-educated mothers at ages 33-44 years collected in 2016‒2018 and regression-based marginal standardization techniques. Early-life disadvantage was measured using a study-based composite measure of early-life concentrated poverty and social disadvantage in homes, neighborhoods, and schools, collected in previous waves. Primary analyses were completed in 2020‒2021. RESULTS Among non-Hispanic Black mothers who experienced high early-life disadvantage, a 1-year increase in maternal age at delivery was associated with lower birth weight by 26.07 g (95% CI= -48.74, -3.40). Similar declines were not found among non-Hispanic Black mothers with low early-life disadvantage. Non-Hispanic White mothers experienced increased birth weight with maternal age, 6.85 g (95% CI= -1.12, 14.82) per year, which did not significantly vary by early-life disadvantage. CONCLUSIONS Early-life disadvantage modifies whether and how college-educated mothers experience birth weight decline with older age. The effects of early-life contexts and embedded racial inequities on maternal health inequities and differential weathering warrant further public health attention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie M Koning
- Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois; Department of Anthropology, Weinberg College of Arts & Sciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois.
| | - Jessica A Polos
- Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois
| | - Kiarri N Kershaw
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Thomas W McDade
- Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois; Department of Anthropology, Weinberg College of Arts & Sciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois
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16
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A Critical Review on the Complex Interplay between Social Determinants of Health and Maternal and Infant Mortality. CHILDREN (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 9:children9030394. [PMID: 35327766 PMCID: PMC8947729 DOI: 10.3390/children9030394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2021] [Revised: 03/04/2022] [Accepted: 03/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Background: U.S. maternal and infant mortality rates constitute an important public health problem, because these rates surpass those in developed countries and are characterized by stark disparities for racial/ethnic minorities, rural residents, and individuals with less privileged socioeconomic status due to social determinants of health (SDoH). Methods: A critical review of the maternal and infant mortality literature was performed to determine multilevel SDoH factors leading to mortality disparities with a life course lens. Results: Black mothers and infants fared the worst in terms of mortality rates, likely due to the accumulation of SDoH experienced as a result of structural racism across the life course. Upstream SDoH are important contributors to disparities in maternal and infant mortality. More research is needed on the effectiveness of continuous quality improvement initiatives for the maternal–infant dyad, and expanding programs such as paid maternity leave, quality, stable and affordable housing, and social safety-nets (Medicaid, CHIP, WIC), in reducing maternal and infant mortality. Finally, it is important to address research gaps in individual, interpersonal, community, and societal factors, because they affect maternal and infant mortality and related disparities. Conclusion: Key SDoH at multiple levels affect maternal and infant health. These SDoH shape and perpetuate disparities across the lifespan and are implicated in maternal and infant mortality disparities.
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Batra A, Karasek D, Hamad R. Racial Differences in the Association between the U.S. Earned Income Tax Credit and Birthweight. Womens Health Issues 2022; 32:26-32. [PMID: 34654624 PMCID: PMC9037785 DOI: 10.1016/j.whi.2021.09.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2020] [Revised: 09/10/2021] [Accepted: 09/13/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE We examined whether the largest U.S. poverty alleviation program for families, the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), has different associations with birthweight among women of different racial backgrounds. DESIGN We analyzed data from the 1985-2015 waves of the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, a longitudinal cohort study of U.S. families (N = 5,230 infants born to 3,672 women). The primary outcome was a continuous measure of birthweight, with secondary outcomes including low birthweight (LBW) and very LBW. Using rich sociodemographic data available in the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, we calculated the amount of EITC benefit for which women were eligible. We then examined the association of EITC benefit size with each outcome using multivariable regressions, examining the sample overall as well as racial subgroups (White, Black, or other). RESULTS We found that larger EITC benefits were not associated with increased infant birthweight for the overall sample (18.37 g per $1,000 of EITC; 95% confidence interval [CI], -2.62 to 33.36). There was an increase in birthweight for Black women (40.17 g; 95% CI: 7.32 to 73.02), but not for White women (-1.86 g; 95% CI, -33.33 to 29.60) or women of other races (-13.26 g; 95% CI, -75.90 to 49.38). There was no association between EITC benefit size and the probability of LBW or very LBW. Results were robust to alternative model specifications. CONCLUSIONS Social policies to address poverty may be effective at decreasing racial disparities in birthweight. Future work should examine potential mechanisms and the benefits of improved health outcomes for children later in life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akansha Batra
- Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, University of California San Francisco, 550 16th St 2nd floor, San Francisco, CA, USA 94158
| | - Deborah Karasek
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, University of California San Francisco, 1500 Owens St Suite 380, San Francisco, CA, USA 94158,California Preterm Birth Initiative, University of California San Francisco, US, 3333 California Street, Suite 285, San Francisco, CA, USA 94118
| | - Rita Hamad
- California Preterm Birth Initiative, University of California San Francisco, US, 3333 California Street, Suite 285, San Francisco, CA, USA 94118,Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies, University of California San Francisco, 3333 California St, San Francisco, CA, USA 94118,Department of Family & Community Medicine, University of California San Francisco, 995 Potrero Ave, San Francisco, CA, USA 94110
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18
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Braveman P, Dominguez TP, Burke W, Dolan SM, Stevenson DK, Jackson FM, Collins JW, Driscoll DA, Haley T, Acker J, Shaw GM, McCabe ERB, Hay WW, Thornburg K, Acevedo-Garcia D, Cordero JF, Wise PH, Legaz G, Rashied-Henry K, Frost J, Verbiest S, Waddell L. Explaining the Black-White Disparity in Preterm Birth: A Consensus Statement From a Multi-Disciplinary Scientific Work Group Convened by the March of Dimes. FRONTIERS IN REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH 2021; 3:684207. [PMID: 36303973 PMCID: PMC9580804 DOI: 10.3389/frph.2021.684207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2021] [Accepted: 07/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
In 2017–2019, the March of Dimes convened a workgroup with biomedical, clinical, and epidemiologic expertise to review knowledge of the causes of the persistent Black-White disparity in preterm birth (PTB). Multiple databases were searched to identify hypothesized causes examined in peer-reviewed literature, 33 hypothesized causes were reviewed for whether they plausibly affect PTB and either occur more/less frequently and/or have a larger/smaller effect size among Black women vs. White women. While definitive proof is lacking for most potential causes, most are biologically plausible. No single downstream or midstream factor explains the disparity or its social patterning, however, many likely play limited roles, e.g., while genetic factors likely contribute to PTB, they explain at most a small fraction of the disparity. Research links most hypothesized midstream causes, including socioeconomic factors and stress, with the disparity through their influence on the hypothesized downstream factors. Socioeconomic factors alone cannot explain the disparity's social patterning. Chronic stress could affect PTB through neuroendocrine and immune mechanisms leading to inflammation and immune dysfunction, stress could alter a woman's microbiota, immune response to infection, chronic disease risks, and behaviors, and trigger epigenetic changes influencing PTB risk. As an upstream factor, racism in multiple forms has repeatedly been linked with the plausible midstream/downstream factors, including socioeconomic disadvantage, stress, and toxic exposures. Racism is the only factor identified that directly or indirectly could explain the racial disparities in the plausible midstream/downstream causes and the observed social patterning. Historical and contemporary systemic racism can explain the racial disparities in socioeconomic opportunities that differentially expose African Americans to lifelong financial stress and associated health-harming conditions. Segregation places Black women in stressful surroundings and exposes them to environmental hazards. Race-based discriminatory treatment is a pervasive stressor for Black women of all socioeconomic levels, considering both incidents and the constant vigilance needed to prepare oneself for potential incidents. Racism is a highly plausible, major upstream contributor to the Black-White disparity in PTB through multiple pathways and biological mechanisms. While much is unknown, existing knowledge and core values (equity, justice) support addressing racism in efforts to eliminate the racial disparity in PTB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paula Braveman
- School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
- *Correspondence: Paula Braveman
| | - Tyan Parker Dominguez
- USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Wylie Burke
- University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Siobhan M. Dolan
- Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | | | | | - James W. Collins
- Northwestern University School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Deborah A. Driscoll
- University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Terinney Haley
- School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Julia Acker
- School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Gary M. Shaw
- Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, United States
| | - Edward R. B. McCabe
- David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | | | - Kent Thornburg
- School of Medicine, Oregon State University, Portland, OR, United States
| | | | - José F. Cordero
- University of Georgia College of Public Health, Athens, GA, United States
| | - Paul H. Wise
- Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, United States
| | - Gina Legaz
- March of Dimes, White Plains, NY, United States
| | | | | | - Sarah Verbiest
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
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19
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Gailey S, Cross RI, Messer LC, Bruckner TA. Characteristics associated with downward residential mobility among birthing persons in California. Soc Sci Med 2021; 279:113962. [PMID: 34020159 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2021.113962] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Revised: 03/10/2021] [Accepted: 04/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Substantial research documents health consequences of neighborhood disadvantage. Patterns of residential mobility that differ by race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status (SES) may sort non-Hispanic (NH) Black and low-SES families into disadvantaged neighborhoods. In this study, we leverage a sibling-linked dataset to track residential mobility among birthing persons between pregnancies and investigate baseline characteristics associated with downward mobility, including race/ethnicity, SES, and pre-existing health conditions. METHODS We used a probabilistic linkage strategy to identify births to the same person between 2007 and 2015 (n = 624,222) and categorized downward residential mobility by quartile-level increases in neighborhood disadvantage. We defined strong downward mobility as a move from a neighborhood with very low (quartile 1) to very high (quartile 4) disadvantage and estimated the logit (i.e., log-odds) of strong downward mobility as a function of racial/ethnic, sociodemographic, and health characteristics of the birthing person and their first birth. We further explored the role of neighborhood housing affordability by examining changes in affordability from first to second birth by race/ethnicity. RESULTS NH Black birthing persons show an over three-fold increased odds of strong downward mobility relative to NH white birthing persons (OR = 3.34, CI: 2.91, 3.84). To a lesser extent, Hispanic race/ethnicity, WIC receipt, low educational attainment, obesity, and infant preterm birth (PTB) also predict strong downward mobility. Examination of changes in neighborhood affordability indicate that over half of NH Black birthing persons move to a more affordable neighborhood, compared to less than a quarter of NH white birthing persons, before the birth of their second child. Results remain consistent across outcomes, measures of neighborhood SES, and modified log-Poisson models. CONCLUSION We find an elevated risk of strong downward mobility among NH Black and low-SES birthing persons. Future research may identify other factors (e.g., housing affordability) that generate downward residential mobility to identify interventions that promote neighborhood equity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha Gailey
- School of Social Ecology, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA.
| | - Rebekah Israel Cross
- Department of Community Health Sciences, Fielding School of Public Health, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Lynne C Messer
- OHSU-PSU School of Public Health, Portland State University, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Tim A Bruckner
- Program in Public Health & Center for Population, Inequality, and Policy, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
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Dunlop AL, Essalmi AG, Alvalos L, Breton C, Camargo CA, Cowell WJ, Dabelea D, Dager SR, Duarte C, Elliott A, Fichorova R, Gern J, Hedderson MM, Thepaksorn EH, Huddleston K, Karagas MR, Kleinman K, Leve L, Li X, Li Y, Litonjua A, Ludena-Rodriguez Y, Madan JC, Nino JM, McEvoy C, O’Connor TG, Padula AM, Paneth N, Perera F, Sathyanarayana S, Schmidt RJ, Schultz RT, Snowden J, Stanford JB, Trasande L, Volk HE, Wheaton W, Wright RJ, McGrath M. Racial and geographic variation in effects of maternal education and neighborhood-level measures of socioeconomic status on gestational age at birth: Findings from the ECHO cohorts. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0245064. [PMID: 33418560 PMCID: PMC7794036 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0245064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2020] [Accepted: 12/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Preterm birth occurs at excessively high and disparate rates in the United States. In 2016, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) launched the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) program to investigate the influence of early life exposures on child health. Extant data from the ECHO cohorts provides the opportunity to examine racial and geographic variation in effects of individual- and neighborhood-level markers of socioeconomic status (SES) on gestational age at birth. The objective of this study was to examine the association between individual-level (maternal education) and neighborhood-level markers of SES and gestational age at birth, stratifying by maternal race/ethnicity, and whether any such associations are modified by US geographic region. Twenty-six ECHO cohorts representing 25,526 mother-infant pairs contributed to this disseminated meta-analysis that investigated the effect of maternal prenatal level of education (high school diploma, GED, or less; some college, associate's degree, vocational or technical training [reference category]; bachelor's degree, graduate school, or professional degree) and neighborhood-level markers of SES (census tract [CT] urbanicity, percentage of black population in CT, percentage of population below the federal poverty level in CT) on gestational age at birth (categorized as preterm, early term, full term [the reference category], late, and post term) according to maternal race/ethnicity and US region. Multinomial logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Cohort-specific results were meta-analyzed using a random effects model. For women overall, a bachelor's degree or above, compared with some college, was associated with a significantly decreased odds of preterm birth (aOR 0.72; 95% CI: 0.61-0.86), whereas a high school education or less was associated with an increased odds of early term birth (aOR 1.10, 95% CI: 1.00-1.21). When stratifying by maternal race/ethnicity, there were no significant associations between maternal education and gestational age at birth among women of racial/ethnic groups other than non-Hispanic white. Among non-Hispanic white women, a bachelor's degree or above was likewise associated with a significantly decreased odds of preterm birth (aOR 0.74 (95% CI: 0.58, 0.94) as well as a decreased odds of early term birth (aOR 0.84 (95% CI: 0.74, 0.95). The association between maternal education and gestational age at birth varied according to US region, with higher levels of maternal education associated with a significantly decreased odds of preterm birth in the Midwest and South but not in the Northeast and West. Non-Hispanic white women residing in rural compared to urban CTs had an increased odds of preterm birth; the ability to detect associations between neighborhood-level measures of SES and gestational age for other race/ethnic groups was limited due to small sample sizes within select strata. Interventions that promote higher educational attainment among women of reproductive age could contribute to a reduction in preterm birth, particularly in the US South and Midwest. Further individual-level analyses engaging a diverse set of cohorts are needed to disentangle the complex interrelationships among maternal education, neighborhood-level factors, exposures across the life course, and gestational age at birth outcomes by maternal race/ethnicity and US geography.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne L. Dunlop
- Woodruff Health Sciences Center, School of Medicine and Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Alicynne Glazier Essalmi
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, United States of America
| | - Lyndsay Alvalos
- Division of Research, Kaiser Permanente Northern California, Oakland, California, United States of America
| | - Carrie Breton
- Department of Preventive Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
| | - Carlos A. Camargo
- Department of Epidemiology Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Whitney J. Cowell
- Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Dana Dabelea
- Department of Epidemiology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Stephen R. Dager
- Department of Radiology and Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Cristiane Duarte
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Amy Elliott
- Avera Research Institute Center for Pediatric & Community Research, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States of America
| | - Raina Fichorova
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Biology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - James Gern
- Department of Medicine, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - Monique M. Hedderson
- Division of Research, Kaiser Permanente Northern California, Oakland, California, United States of America
| | - Elizabeth Hom Thepaksorn
- Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - Kathi Huddleston
- College of Health and Human Services, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Margaret R. Karagas
- Department of Epidemiology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, New Hampshire, United States of America
| | - Ken Kleinman
- Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Leslie Leve
- Prevention Science Institute, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, United States of America
| | - Ximin Li
- Department of Biostatistics, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland United States of America
| | - Yijun Li
- Department of Biostatistics, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland United States of America
| | - Augusto Litonjua
- Division of Pediatric Pulmonary Medicine, Golisano Children’s Hospital at Strong, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York, United States of America
| | - Yunin Ludena-Rodriguez
- Division of Environmental and Occupational Health, Public Health Sciences, School of Medicine, University of California, Davis, California, United States of America
| | - Juliette C. Madan
- Department of Epidemiology Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, Hanover, New Hampshire, United States of America
| | - Julio Mateus Nino
- Obstetrics and Gynecology, Maternal and Fetal Medicine, Atrium Health, Charlotte, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Cynthia McEvoy
- Division of Neonatal, Department of Pediatrics, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon, United States of America
| | - Thomas G. O’Connor
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York, United States of America
| | - Amy M. Padula
- Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - Nigel Paneth
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, United States of America
| | - Frederica Perera
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Sheela Sathyanarayana
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington & Seattle Children’s Research Institute, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Rebecca J. Schmidt
- Division of Environmental and Occupational Health, Public Health Sciences, School of Medicine, University of California, Davis, California, United States of America
| | - Robert T. Schultz
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Jessica Snowden
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Arkansas Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas, United States of America
| | - Joseph B. Stanford
- Department of Family Preventative Medicine, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, Utah, United States of America
| | - Leonardo Trasande
- Department of Pediatrics, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Heather E. Volk
- Department of Biostatistics, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland United States of America
| | - William Wheaton
- Science and Technology Program, RTI International, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Rosalind J. Wright
- Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Monica McGrath
- Department of Biostatistics, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland United States of America
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Jain NJ, Faiz AS, Ohman-Strickland PA, Smulian JC, Rhoads GG. Educational Attainment of Grandmothers and Preterm Birth in Grandchildren. Matern Child Health J 2020; 25:293-301. [PMID: 33184745 DOI: 10.1007/s10995-020-03021-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/04/2020] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Maternal education has been shown repeatedly to be inversely associated with preterm birth. Both preterm birth and educational level of families are correlated across generations, but it is not clear if educational level of grandparents affects the risk of preterm delivery of their grandchildren, and, if so, if the association with grandmother's education is independent of mother's education. METHODS We used New Jersey birth certificates to create a transgenerational dataset to examine the effect of grandmother's education on risk of PTB in White, Black and Hispanic grandchildren. We matched birth certificates of girls born in 1979-1983 to mothers listed on NJ birth certificates for the years 1999-2011. Thus, grandmothers were the women delivering in 1979-1983, and mothers were those born to the grandmothers who in turn delivered grandchildren in 1999-2011. We performed descriptive tabulations and multivariate logistic regression to develop risk estimates. RESULTS Overall, maternal education was associated inversely with PTB in each of the demographic groups. There was a substantial inter-generational increase in education between grandmothers and mothers in each group, which was most striking in Hispanics After adjusting for maternal age and education, grandmother's education continued to be associated with preterm birth of her grandchildren. CONCLUSIONS Grandmother's education was an additional, independent predictor of PTB in her grandchildren. This result supports the idea that mother's childhood and preconception socioeconomic environment, including the educational level of her childhood household affect her reproductive health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neetu J Jain
- Rutgers School of Public Health, Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Piscataway, NJ, USA.
| | - Ambarina S Faiz
- Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Department of Medicine, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
| | | | - John C Smulian
- University of Florida College of Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - George G Rhoads
- Rutgers School of Public Health, Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Piscataway, NJ, USA
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22
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Nardone AL, Casey JA, Rudolph KE, Karasek D, Mujahid M, Morello-Frosch R. Associations between historical redlining and birth outcomes from 2006 through 2015 in California. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0237241. [PMID: 32764800 PMCID: PMC7413562 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0237241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2020] [Accepted: 07/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Despite being one of the wealthiest nations, disparities in adverse birth outcomes persist across racial and ethnic lines in the United States. We studied the association between historical redlining and preterm birth, low birth weight (LBW), small-for-gestational age (SGA), and perinatal mortality over a ten-year period (2006-2015) in Los Angeles, Oakland, and San Francisco, California. METHODS We used birth outcomes data from the California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development between January 1, 2006 and December 31, 2015. Home Owners' Loan Corporation (HOLC) Security Maps developed in the 1930s assigned neighborhoods one of four grades that pertained to perceived investment risk of borrowers from that neighborhood: green (grade A) were considered "Best", blue (grade B) "Still Desirable", yellow (grade C) "Definitely Declining", and red (grade D, hence the term "redlining") "Hazardous". Geocoded residential addresses at the time of birth were superimposed on HOLC Security Maps to assign each birth a HOLC grade. We adjusted for potential confounders present at the time of Security Map creation by assigning HOLC polygons areal-weighted 1940s Census measures. We then employed propensity score matching methods to estimate the association of historical HOLC grades on current birth outcomes. Because tracts graded A had almost no propensity of receiving grade C or D and because grade B tracts had low propensity of receiving grade D, we examined birth outcomes in the three following comparisons: B vs. A, C vs. B, and D vs. C. RESULTS The prevalence of preterm birth, SGA and mortality tended to be higher in worse HOLC grades, while the prevalence of LBW varied across grades. Overall odds of mortality and preterm birth increased as HOLC grade worsened. Propensity score matching balanced 1940s census measures across contrasting groups. Logistic regression models revealed significantly elevated odds of preterm birth (odds ratio (OR): 1.02, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.00-1.05), and SGA (OR: 1.03, 95% CI: 1.00-1.05) in the C vs. B comparison and significantly reduced odds of preterm birth (OR: 0.93, 95% CI: 0.91-0.95), LBW (OR: 0.94-95% CI: 0.92-0.97), and SGA (OR: 0.94, 95% CI: 0.92-0.96) in the D vs. C comparison. Results differed by metropolitan area and maternal race. CONCLUSION Similar to prior studies on redlining, we found that worsening HOLC grade was associated with adverse birth outcomes, although this relationship was less clear after propensity score matching and stratifying by metropolitan area. Higher odds of preterm birth and SGA in grade C versus grade B neighborhoods may be caused by higher-stress environments, racial segregation, and lack of access to resources, while lower odds of preterm birth, SGA, and LBW in grade D versus grade C neighborhoods may due to population shifts in those neighborhoods related to gentrification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony L. Nardone
- University of California, Berkeley-University of California San Francisco Joint Medical Program, Berkeley, California, United States of America
| | - Joan A. Casey
- Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Kara E. Rudolph
- Department of Epidemiology, Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Deborah Karasek
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - Mahasin Mujahid
- School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, California, United States of America
| | - Rachel Morello-Frosch
- School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, California, United States of America
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, University of California, Berkeley, California, United States of America
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23
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Shrimali BP, Pearl M, Karasek D, Reid C, Abrams B, Mujahid M. Neighborhood Privilege, Preterm Delivery, and Related Racial/Ethnic Disparities: An Intergenerational Application of the Index of Concentration at the Extremes. Am J Epidemiol 2020; 189:412-421. [PMID: 31909419 DOI: 10.1093/aje/kwz279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2019] [Revised: 12/13/2019] [Accepted: 12/13/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
We assessed whether early childhood and adulthood experiences of neighborhood privilege, measured by the Index of Concentration at the Extremes (ICE), were associated with preterm delivery and related racial/ethnic disparities using intergenerationally linked birth records of 379,794 California-born primiparous mothers (born 1982-1997) and their infants (born 1997-2011). ICE measures during early childhood and adulthood approximated racial/ethnic and economic dimensions of neighborhood privilege and disadvantage separately (ICE-income, ICE-race/ethnicity) and in combination (ICE-income + race/ethnicity). Results of our generalized estimating equation models with robust standard errors showed associations for ICE-income and ICE-income + race/ethnicity. For example, ICE-income + race/ethnicity was associated with preterm delivery in both early childhood (relative risk (RR) = 1.12, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.08, 1.17) and adulthood (RR = 1.07, 95% CI: 1.03, 1.11). Non-Hispanic black and Hispanic women had higher risk of preterm delivery than white women (RR = 1.32, 95% CI: 1.28, 1.37; and RR = 1.11, 95% CI: 1.08, 1.14, respectively, adjusting for individual-level confounders). Adjustment for ICE-income + race/ethnicity at both time periods yielded the greatest declines in disparities (for non-Hispanic black women, RR = 1.23, 95% CI: 1.18, 1.28; for Hispanic women, RR = 1.05, 95% CI: 1.02, 1.09). Findings support independent effects of early childhood and adulthood neighborhood privilege on preterm delivery and related disparities.
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Zeitlin J. Investigating the weathering hypothesis: Beyond the question of age-specific risks. Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol 2019; 33:357-359. [PMID: 31531889 DOI: 10.1111/ppe.12584] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2019] [Accepted: 08/12/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer Zeitlin
- Obstetrical, Perinatal and Pediatric Epidemiology Research Team, UMR 1153, Inserm (French National Institute for Health and Medical Research), Paris, France
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25
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Keiser AM, Salinas YD, DeWan AT, Hawley NL, Donohue PK, Strobino DM. Risks of preterm birth among non-Hispanic black and non-Hispanic white women: Effect modification by maternal age. Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol 2019; 33:346-356. [PMID: 31365156 PMCID: PMC6993282 DOI: 10.1111/ppe.12572] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2019] [Revised: 06/26/2019] [Accepted: 07/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Preterm birth (PTB) disproportionately affects African American compared with Caucasian women, although reasons for this disparity remain unclear. Some suggest that a differential effect of maternal age by race/ethnicity, especially at older maternal ages, may explain disparities. OBJECTIVE To determine whether the relationship between maternal age and preterm birth varies by race/ethnicity among primiparae non-Hispanic blacks (NHB) and non-Hispanic whites (NHW). METHODS A cross-sectional study of 367 081 singleton liveborn first births to NHB and NHW women in California from 2008 to 2012 was conducted. Rate ratios (RR) were estimated for PTB and its subtypes-spontaneous and clinician-initiated-after adjusting for confounders through Poisson regression. Universal age/race reference groups (NHW, 25-29 years) and race-specific reference groups (NHW or NHB, 25-29 years) were used for comparisons. RESULTS Among all women, RR of PTB was highest at the extremes of age (<15 and ≥40 years). Among NHBs, the risk of PTB was higher than among NHWs at all maternal ages (adjusted RR of PTB 1.38-2.93 vs 0.98-2.38). However, using race-specific reference groups, the risk of PTB for NHB women (RR 0.91-1.88) vs NHW women (RR 0.98-2.39) was nearly identical at all maternal ages, with overlapping confidence intervals. Analyses did not demonstrate substantial divergence of risk with advancing maternal age. PTB, spontaneous PTB, and clinician-initiated PTB demonstrated similar risk patterns at younger but not older maternal ages, where risk of clinician-initiated PTB increased sharply for all women. CONCLUSIONS Primiparae NHBs demonstrated increased risk of PTB, spontaneous PTB, and clinician-initiated PTB compared with NHWs at all maternal ages. However, RRs using race-specific reference groups converged across maternal ages, indicating a similar independent effect of maternal age on PTB by race/ethnicity. A differential effect of maternal age does not appear to explain disparities in preterm birth by race/ethnicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amaris M. Keiser
- Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Yasmmyn D. Salinas
- Department of Chronic Disease Epidemiology, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT
| | - Andrew T. DeWan
- Department of Chronic Disease Epidemiology, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT
| | - Nicola L. Hawley
- Department of Chronic Disease Epidemiology, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT
| | - Pamela K. Donohue
- Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD,Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD
| | - Donna M. Strobino
- Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD
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Lara-Cinisomo S, D'Anna-Hernandez K, Fujimoto EM, Pedersen CA. Exploring associations between perinatal depression, anxiety, and urinary oxytocin levels in Latinas. Arch Womens Ment Health 2019; 22:447-455. [PMID: 30191332 PMCID: PMC7141787 DOI: 10.1007/s00737-018-0910-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2018] [Accepted: 08/28/2018] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Perinatal depression has been associated with lower oxytocin (OT) levels. However, few studies have explored this topic in relation to Latinas who are at high risk of perinatal depression. The objective of this study was to explore these associations in Latinas. A total of 108 Latinas in the third trimester of pregnancy participated in the study. Depression and urinary OT levels were assessed in pregnancy and 6 weeks postpartum. Nonparametric tests were implemented to test the proposed associations. Results revealed that 28% of the participants had probable depression in pregnancy, and 23% at 6 weeks postpartum. OT levels significantly decreased from prenatal to postpartum in the whole sample; however, participants with probable prenatal depression did not exhibit a significant change in OT levels. Participants who were depressed or anxious at 6 weeks postpartum exhibited persistently higher mean OT levels over time. A distinct pattern of higher levels of OT in depressed Latinas suggests that OT levels may be an important neuroendocrine factor contributing to depressive and anxious symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandraluz Lara-Cinisomo
- College of Applied Health Sciences, Department of Kinesiology and Community Health, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1206 S. Fourth Street, Champaign, IL, USA.
| | - Kimberly D'Anna-Hernandez
- Department of Psychology, California State University San Marcos, 333 S. Twin Oaks Valley Road, San Marcos, CA, 92096, USA
| | - Elinor M Fujimoto
- College of Applied Health Sciences, Department of Kinesiology and Community Health, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1206 S. Fourth Street, Champaign, IL, USA
| | - Cort A Pedersen
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, University of North Carolina Hospitals, 101 Manning Dr., Chapel Hill, NC, USA
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael C Lu
- Milken Institute School of Public Health, George Washington University, Washington, District of Columbia
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