Black and Immigrant: Exploring the Effects of Ethnicity and Foreign-Born Status on Infant Health
Black immigrant mothers have better birth outcomes than U.S.-born Black women but worse outcomes than nearly all other immigrant groups. The gap remains unexplained.
The birth experiences and prenatal behaviors of Black immigrant mothers have received relatively little attention. Literature has focused in recent years on birth outcomes among immigrant mothers compared to native-born mothers, and within-group differences in infant health among Blacks. While there are suggestive findings that infants born to Black immigrant mothers are still at a relative health disadvantage to non-Black immigrant and U.S.-born mothers, this evidence is based on studies that are limited for various reasons, whether in geographic scope and/or generalizability or because they examine a limited set of infant health outcomes.
This report compares prenatal behaviors and birth outcomes of Black immigrant mothers to those of other immigrant and U.S.-born mothers, using federal vital statistics. It finds that Black immigrant mothers are less likely to give birth to preterm or low-birth-weight infants than U.S.-born Black women, yet are more likely to experience these adverse birth outcomes than other groups of immigrant and U.S.-born women.
Table of Contents
I. Introduction
II. Background
A. Birth Outcomes
B. Prenatal Behaviors
III. Description of Data and Analytical Methods
A. Data
B. Empirical Approach
IV. Results
A. Prenatal Behaviors
B. Birth Outcomes
V. Conclusion and Discussion
About the Young Children in Black Immigrant Families Project
This project examined the health, development, and school outcomes of U.S. children in Black immigrant families from birth to age ten, and the policy implications for education, health care, child care, and integration.
About the National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy
The Center is a national hub connecting policymakers, educators, community leaders, and service providers with evidence-informed policy research, technical assistance, and data to advance effective immigrant integration at U.S., state, and local levels.
Related Content
