Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Comparative Study
. 1999 Mar 1;149(5):447-53.
doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a009832.

Low-weight neonatal survival paradox in the Czech Republic

E Carlson  1 , J M Hoem
Affiliations
Comparative Study

Low-weight neonatal survival paradox in the Czech Republic

E Carlson et al. Am J Epidemiol. .

Abstract

Analysis of vital statistics for the Czech Republic between 1986 and 1993, including 3,254 infant deaths from 350,978 first births to married and single women who conceived at ages 18-29 years, revealed a neonatal survival advantage for low-weight infants born to disadvantaged (single, less educated) women, particularly for deaths from congenital anomalies. This advantage largely disappeared after the neonatal period. The same patterns have been observed for low-weight infants born to black women in the United States. Since the Czech Republic had an ethnically homogenous population, virtually universal prenatal care, and uniform institutional conditions for delivery, Czech results must be attributed to social rather than to biologic or medical circumstances. This strengthens the contention that in the United States, the black neonatal survival paradox may be due as much to race-related social stigmatization and consequent disadvantage as to any hypothesized hereditary influences on birth-weight-specific survival.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Kleinman JC, Kessel SS. Racial differences in low birth weight. Trends and risk factors. N Engl J Med. 1987;317:749–53. - PubMed
    1. Eberstein IW. Demographic research on infant mortality. Sociological Forum. 1989;4:409–22.
    1. Adams MM, Berg CJ, Rhodes PH, et al. Another look at the black-white gap in gestation-specific perinatal mortality. Int J Epidemiol. 1991;20:950–7. - PubMed
    1. Forbes D, Frisbie WP. Spanish surname and Anglo infant mortality: differentials over a half-century. Demography. 1991;28:639–60. - PubMed
    1. Behrman RE. Premature births among black women. N Engl J Med. 1987;317:763–5. - PubMed

Publication types