Improved birth weight for black infants: Outcomes of a healthy start program

C.L. Kothari, R. Zielinski, A. James, R.M. Charoth and L. Del Carmen Sweezy

American Journal of Public Health, 2014, vol. 104, issue S1, S96-S104

Abstract: Objectives. We determined whether participation in Healthy Babies Healthy Start (HBHS), a maternal health program emphasizing racial equity and delivering services through case management home visitation, was associated with improved birth outcomes for Black women relative to White women. Methods. We used a matched-comparison posttest-only design in which we selected the comparison group using propensity score matching. Study data were generated through secondary analysis of Michigan state- and Kalamazoo County-level birth certificate records for 2008 to 2010. We completed statistical analyses, stratified by race, using a repeated-measures generalized linear model. Results. Despite their smoking rate being double that of their matched counterparts, Black HBHS participants delivered higher birth-weight infants than did Black nonparticipants (P =.05). White HBHS participants had significantly more prenatal care than did White nonparticipants, but they had similar birth outcomes (P= .7 for birth weight; P =.55 for gestation). Conclusions. HBHS participation is associated with increased birth weights among Black women but not among White women, suggesting differential program gains for Black women.

Keywords: African American; article; birth weight; clinical trial; female; health service; human; pregnancy; pregnancy outcome; propensity score; statistics; United States; young adult, African Americans; Birth Weight; Female; Humans; Maternal Health Services; Michigan; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Outcome; Propensity Score; Young Adult (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2014
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:aph:ajpbhl:10.2105/ajph.2013.301359_5

DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2013.301359

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