Prepregnancy obesity and the racial disparity in infant mortality.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

To estimate the extent to which prepregnancy obesity explains the Black-White disparity in stillbirth and infant mortality.

Methods

A population-based study of linked Pennsylvania birth-infant death certificates (2003-2011; n = 1,055,359 births) and fetal death certificates (2006-2011; n = 3,102 stillbirths) for all singleton pregnancies in non-Hispanic (NH) White and NH Black women was conducted. Inverse probability weighted regression was used to estimate the role of prepregnancy obesity in explaining the race-infant/fetal death association.

Results

Compared with NH White women, NH Black women were more likely to have obesity (≥30 kg/m² ) and experienced a higher rate of stillbirth (8.3 vs. 3.6 stillbirths per 1,000 live-born and stillborn infan

SUBMITTER: Lemon LS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5130106 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature