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
Review
. 2017 Oct;41(6):360-366.
doi: 10.1053/j.semperi.2017.07.002. Epub 2017 Aug 18.

Birth outcome racial disparities: A result of intersecting social and environmental factors

Heather H Burris  1 , Michele R Hacker  2
Affiliations
Review

Birth outcome racial disparities: A result of intersecting social and environmental factors

Heather H Burris et al. Semin Perinatol. 2017 Oct.

Abstract

Adverse birth outcomes such as preterm birth, low-birth weight, and infant mortality continue to disproportionately affect black and poor infants in the United States. Improvements in healthcare quality and access have not eliminated these disparities. The objective of this review was to consider societal factors, including suboptimal education, income inequality, and residential segregation, that together lead to toxic environmental exposures and psychosocial stress. Many toxic chemicals, as well as psychosocial stress, contribute to the risk of adverse birth outcomes and black women often are more highly exposed than white women. The extent to which environmental exposures combine with stress and culminate in racial disparities in birth outcomes has not been quantified but is likely substantial. Primary prevention of adverse birth outcomes and elimination of disparities will require a societal approach to improve education quality, income equity, and neighborhoods.

Keywords: Environmental health; Low birth weight; Preterm birth; Psychosocial stress; Racial disparities; Social epidemiology.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Conceptual model of societal factors in the United States that lead to psychosocial stress, toxic environmental exposures, and ultimately contribute to racial disparities in birth outcomes.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. David RJ, Collins JW., Jr Differing birth weight among infants of U.S.-born blacks, African-born blacks, and U.S.-born whites. The New England journal of medicine. 1997 Oct 23;337(17):1209–1214. - PubMed
    1. David R, Collins J., Jr Disparities in infant mortality: what’s genetics got to do with it? American journal of public health. 2007 Jul;97(7):1191–1197. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Hamilton BE, Martin JA, Osterman MJ. Births: Preliminary Data for 2015. National vital statistics reports: from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, National Vital Statistics System. 2016 Jun;65(3):1–15. - PubMed
    1. Hamilton BE, Martin JA, Osterman MJ, Curtin SC, Matthews TJ. Births: Final Data for 2014. National vital statistics reports: from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, National Vital Statistics System. 2015 Dec;64(12):1–64. - PubMed
    1. Kochanek KD, Murphy SL, Xu J, Tejada-Vera B. Deaths: Final Data for 2014. National vital statistics reports: from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, National Vital Statistics System. 2016 Jun;65(4):1–122. - PubMed

Publication types