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
. 2011 Sep-Oct;40(5):544-54.
doi: 10.1111/j.1552-6909.2011.01273.x.

Using geographical information systems to explore disparities in preterm birth rates among foreign-born and U.S.-born Black mothers

Joan Rosen Bloch  1
Affiliations
Comparative Study

Using geographical information systems to explore disparities in preterm birth rates among foreign-born and U.S.-born Black mothers

Joan Rosen Bloch. J Obstet Gynecol Neonatal Nurs. 2011 Sep-Oct.

Abstract

Objective: To examine spatial patterns of neighborhood contextual factors of stress with preterm birth (PTB) and nativity (foreign-born and U.S.-born) among Black mothers.

Design: Descriptive geographic-spatial research.

Setting & participants: Births to Philadelphia residents during 2003-2005 in the context of Philadelphia residential neighborhoods (N = 350) were studied.

Methods: All data were aggregated to neighborhood levels (census tracts). Maps were created to assess geographic-spatial patterns. A geographic information system (GIS) database was created that imported geo-coded data on births, crime (assaults with guns and domestic abuse), poverty, race, and nativity (foreign-born vs. U.S.-born).

Results: Clear visual patterns of "bad" neighborhoods emerged and were significantly associated with higher prevalence of PTB for foreign-born Black and U.S.-born Black mothers (p < .0001).

Conclusions: This study demonstrated how GIS visually clarified important spatial patterns of adverse living conditions and PTB prevalence. Nurses can use GIS to better understand living environments of mothers and their families and to target interventions in geographical areas with the greatest service needs. Further research on individual and contextual factors is warranted to address the observed health disparities among the heterogeneous groups of foreign-born Black mothers. Despite limitations of aggregate data, it is clear that where mothers live matters. This has important implications for nursing practice and policy.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The author reports no conflict of interest or relevant financial relationships.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Environmental stress in Philadelphia by census tract.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Ethnic population density by Philadelphia census tract.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Preterm birth density in Philadelphia by race and nativity.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Clemmer G. The GIS 20: Essential skills. Redlands, CA: ESRI; 2010.
    1. Collins JW, David RJ, Mendivil NA, Wu S-Y. Intergen-erational birth weights among the direct female descendants of US-born and Mexican-born Mexican-American women in Illinois: An exploratory study. Ethnicity & Disease. 2006;16(1):166–171. - PubMed
    1. Collins JW, Schulte NF. Infant health: Race, risk and residence. In: Krieger N, Berkman LF, editors. Neighborhoods and health. New York, NY: Oxford University Press; 2003. pp. 223–232.
    1. Culhane JF, Elo IT. Neighborhood context and reproductive health. American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology. 2005;192(5 Suppl):S22–S29. - PubMed
    1. Culhane JF, Rauh V, McCollum KF, Elo IT, Hogan V. Exposure to chronic stress and ethnic differences in rates of bacterial vaginosis among pregnant women. American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology. 2002;187(5):1272–1276. - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms