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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Rahel Mathews, MPH, Jack Leiss, PhD, MPH, and Sara Sousa, MPH. Statistics and Epidemiology, Constella Health Sciences, 2605 Meridian Parkway, Suite 200, Durham, NC 27713, 919 544-8500, rmathews@constellagroup.com

Birth outcomes such as low birth weight and preterm birth are important indicators of perinatal health. Very little is known about American Indians perinatal health in the southeastern United States. The purpose of this study is to describe the incidence of low birth weight and preterm birth among American Indians and non-Hispanic whites in North Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. The Southeast Perinatal Data Project includes vital birth records for North Carolina (1988-1997), Georgia (1994-2002), and Florida (1988-2002). This cohort has over 20,000 Native American singleton births and 2.6 million non-Hispanic whites. We compared birth weight and gestational age by race, maternal age, and parity. Preliminary results show that the proportion of low birth weight(less than 2500 grams) was larger among American Indians in each state than among whites. Within each state, the median gestational age was the same for American Indians and whites (40 weeks in North Carolina, 39 in Georgia, and 39 in Florida). The proportion of births to women younger than 20 years was greater among American Indians compared to whites for all three states: 21% vs. 10% in North Carolina, 19% vs. 11% in Florida, and 13% vs. 10% in Georgia. Prenatal care and maternal smoking among the groups are described. We discuss these results in light of findings reported for American Indians in the northwestern regions of the US. American Indians in the southeast may require different interventions for perinatal health than previously understood.

Learning Objectives:

• To describe the rates of low birthweight and preterm birth among American Indians in North Carolina, Georgia and Florida.
• To compare these rates between American Indians and non-Hispanic whites.
• To discuss these results in light of findings reported for American Indians in the northwestern regions of the US.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Not Answered