Variation in Birth Outcomes by Country of Birth among Black Women in the United States

Irma T. Elo, University of Pennsylvania
Zoua M. Vang, McGill University

We contribute to the literature on infant health by investigating differentials in birth outcomes by country of birth among non-Hispanic black women in the United States in 2008. We expand prior research by distinguishing foreign-born blacks by country of birth and include more recent data and data from a wider set of states than in prior studies. Our preliminary results show considerable variation in birth outcomes by the mother’s country of birth among Caribbean and Sub-Saharan African immigrant women. We will explore whether the inclusion of maternal sociodemographic characteristics, health behaviors and maternal health help explain these differentials. No prior study to our knowledge has examined variation in birth outcomes of black immigrants by the mother’s country of birth, including the major sending countries of black immigrants to the United States.