Journal ArticleDOI
The relationship between the neighbourhood environment and adverse birth outcomes
Thomas A. Farley,Karen Mason,Janet C. Rice,Joanna D. Habel,Richard Scribner,Deborah A. Cohen +5 more
TLDR
Measures of neighbourhood economic conditions are associated with both fetal growth and the length of gestation independent of individual-level factors, but that readily available measures of neighbourhood retail outlets are not.Abstract:
Intrauterine growth retardation and preterm birth are more frequent in African-American women and women of lower socio-economic status, but the reasons for these disparities are not fully understood. The physical and social environments in which these women live may contribute to these disparities. We conducted a multilevel study to explore whether conditions of mothers' neighbourhood of residence contribute to adverse birth outcomes independent of individual-level determinants. We analysed data from 105 111 births in 1015 census tracts in Louisiana during 1997-98, merging it with data from other existing sources on neighbourhood socio-economic status, neighbourhood physical deterioration, and neighbourhood density of retail outlets selling tobacco, alcohol and foods. After controlling for individual-level sociodemographic factors, tract-level median household income was positively associated with both birthweight-for-gestational-age and gestational age at birth. Neighbourhood physical deterioration was associated with these birth outcomes in ecological analyses but only inconsistently associated with them after controlling for individual-level factors. Neither gestational age nor birthweight-for-gestational-age was associated with the neighbourhood density of alcohol outlets, tobacco outlets, fast-food restaurants or grocery supermarkets. We conclude that measures of neighbourhood economic conditions are associated with both fetal growth and the length of gestation independent of individual-level factors, but that readily available measures of neighbourhood retail outlets are not. Additional studies are needed to better understand the nature of environmental influences on birth outcomes.read more
Citations
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Journal ArticleDOI
Epidemiology and causes of preterm birth
TL;DR: A short cervical length and a raised cervical-vaginal fetal fibronectin concentration are the strongest predictors of spontaneous preterm birth.
Journal ArticleDOI
Epigenetics and the embodiment of race: developmental origins of US racial disparities in cardiovascular health.
TL;DR: The relative contribution of genetic and environmental influences to the US black-white disparity in cardiovascular disease (CVD) is hotly debated within the public health, anthropology, and medical communities as discussed by the authors.
Journal ArticleDOI
Neighborhood deprivation and preterm birth among non-Hispanic Black and White women in eight geographic areas in the United States.
Patricia O'Campo,Jessica G. Burke,Jessica G. Burke,Jennifer F. Culhane,Irma T. Elo,Janet Eyster,Claudia Holzman,Lynne C. Messer,Jay S. Kaufman,Barbara A. Laraia +9 more
TL;DR: In this study, deprivation at the neighborhood level was significantly associated with increased risk of preterm birth among both non-Hispanic White women andnon-Hispanic Black women.
Journal ArticleDOI
The Social Determinants of Infant Mortality and Birth Outcomes in Western Developed Nations: A Cross-Country Systematic Review
Daniel Kim,Adrianna Saada +1 more
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors identify several methodological gaps and the presence of residual confounding in a number of studies and propose novel approaches to strengthen causal inference and implementing both health and non-health policies may reduce inequities in IM/birth outcomes across the western developed world.
The Social Determinants of Infant Mortality and Birth Outcomes in Western Developed Nations
Daniel Kim,Adrianna Saada +1 more
TL;DR: This review identifies several methodological gaps, including the underuse of prospective designs and the presence of residual confounding in a number of studies, and addresses such gaps including through novel approaches to strengthen causal inference and implementing both health and non-health policies to reduce inequities in IM/birth outcomes across the western developed world.
References
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Journal ArticleDOI
Neighborhood characteristics associated with the location of food stores and food service places
TL;DR: Without access to supermarkets, which offer a wide variety of foods at lower prices, poor and minority communities may not have equal access to the variety of healthy food choices available to nonminority and wealthy communities.