Multiple-race mothers on the California birth certificate, 2000

Abstract

Objectives: Several data systems are beginning to allow respondents to report more than one race. Implications of multiple race reporting for the tabulation of race-specific birth characteristics are largely unknown. This analysis reports selected demographic characteristics and birth outcomes for multiple-race mothers, using California birth certificate data for 2000.

Design: Descriptive study of birth records.

Methods: Data were drawn from 530,305 electronically registered births. Demographics and birth outcomes were analyzed by race of mother for six multiple-race/ethnic groups with >300 births.

Results: 1.7% of mothers reported more than one race on the birth certificate. The most common multiple-race group reported was non-Hispanic Asian/White, followed by Hispanic/American Indian or Alaska Native/White. Characteristics varied widely among multiple-race subgroups, as well as between multiple-race groups and their single-race counterparts. For example, among multiple-race mothers, the proportion of births to teenage mothers was lowest among non-Hispanic Asian/White mothers (9%); this was significantly higher than percentages for non-Hispanic Asian or non-Hispanic White mothers (4% and 6%, respectively).

Conclusions: Understanding the influence of multiple-race reporting on trends and comparisons in birth outcomes will be a challenge for public health researchers.