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Faculty Advisor

Dr Julia Lippert

Abstract

Low birth weight (LBW), defined as less than 2,500 grams, is an influential factor contributing to infant mortality in the United States, with significant racial disparities between Black and White mothers. This study analyzed data from 3,054 Black and White mothers collected from the 2018 National Health Interview Survey to explore the association between access to medical care and LBW within different racial groups. The prevalence of LBW was 8.0%. Overall, mothers without a usual place of medical care had, on average, an 18% higher risk of LBW than those with a usual place (OR = 1.18, 95% CI: 0.80–1.74). For Black mothers, the prevalence of LBW was high regardless of access to healthcare, with rates of 14.0% among those with a usual source of care and 13.6% among those without (OR = 0.96, 95% CI: 0.44–2.12). In contrast, White mothers exhibited a lower overall prevalence of LBW, but those without a usual place of care had a higher rate (8.2% vs. 6.6%; OR = 1.26, 95% CI: 0.80–1.97). These findings highlight that racial disparities in LBW persist regardless of access to a regular place for medical care, suggesting that additional research is needed in order to identify specific factors that relate to LBW.

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