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Source: NICHD Conference
Resulting in 2 citations.
1. Cramer, James C.
Bell, Katrina
Vaast, Katherine
Race, Ethnicity, and the Determinants of Low Birthweight in the U.S.
Presented: Bethesda, MD, NICHD Workshop on Social and Demographic Research on Infant Mortality and Low Birthweight, 1990
Cohort(s): Children of the NLSY79, NLSY79
Publisher: National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
Keyword(s): Adolescent Fertility; Birthweight; Family Income; Household Composition; Mortality; Pre-natal Care/Exposure; Pre/post Natal Health Care; Racial Differences; Welfare

This paper explores possible explanations of racial and ethnic variations in the incidence of low birthweight with a special focus on income and poverty. The paper reports on two closely-related research efforts: (1) a statistical study of data on low birthweight using the NLSY; and (2) a small, in-depth, qualitative study of young, low-income mothers from Sacramento, California. Results of the NLSY study indicated that the causal model of birthweight constructed performs moderately well among white anglo mothers. The socioeconomic, demographic, and parenting skills variables and proximate determinants generally are related to birthweight in the expected directions, but only the proximate determinants have very strong effects; the overall model explains about 13 percent of the variation in birthweight among this sample of anglos. The same model can be used also with other racial and ethnic groups. Mean birthweight is significantly lower among blacks and Puerto Ricans, and sligh tly lower among chicanos and American Indians, than among white anglos. The gap in birthweight relative to anglos is explained in terms of unfavorable socioeconomic and demographic characteristics and parenting skills of the other racial and ethnic groups. On the other hand, each group has favorable characteristics on the proximate determinants relative to anglos which depress the birthweight gap; controlling for these differences increases the estimates of birthweight gap, especially among blacks. The model sheds light on, but does not explain racial and ethnic differences in birthweight. A primary hypothesis in the research was that income is strongly associated with low birthweight and that low income accounts for much of the excess incidence of low birthweight among blacks and other minorities. This hypothesis is weakly supported at best by the evidence presented here. A discussion of the effects of income on birthweight by groups is presented.
Bibliography Citation
Cramer, James C., Katrina Bell and Katherine Vaast. "Race, Ethnicity, and the Determinants of Low Birthweight in the U.S." Presented: Bethesda, MD, NICHD Workshop on Social and Demographic Research on Infant Mortality and Low Birthweight, 1990.
2. Ribar, David C.
Teenage Fertility and High School Completion
Presented: Bethesda, MD, NICHD Conference, "Outcomes of Early Childbearing: An Appraisal of Recent Evidence", May 1992
Cohort(s): NLSY79
Publisher: National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
Keyword(s): Adolescent Fertility; Benefits; Childbearing, Adolescent; Family Planning; Fertility; Modeling, Probit; Religion; School Completion; State Welfare

This paper uses 1979-85 data on women from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth to examine the economic, sociological and institutional antecedents of adolescent childbearing and high school completion and to rigorously analyze the effect of early childbearing on school completion. Fertility and school completion are modeled as dichotomous outcomes, and their determinants are estimated using a bivariate probit specification. The paper finds that Medicaid generosity, the availability of family planning services, family background, religiousness and physical maturity are important determinants of early childbearing and that family background and religiousness are important determinants of schooling. Interestingly, the paper finds that teenage fertility has no significant negative effect on high school completion.
Bibliography Citation
Ribar, David C. "Teenage Fertility and High School Completion." Presented: Bethesda, MD, NICHD Conference, "Outcomes of Early Childbearing: An Appraisal of Recent Evidence", May 1992.