182866 Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Maternal Resiliency: Findings from the Los Angeles Mommy and Baby (LAMB) Survey

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Fathima Wakeel, PhDc , Department of Community Health Sciences, University of California Los Angeles School of Public Health, Los Angeles, CA
Eunice Muthengi, MPH, MSW , Department of Community Health Sciences, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
Angie Denisse Otiniano, MPH , School of Public Health Department of Community Health Sciences, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
Karen M. Coller, PhD MPH , Division of General Internal Medicine and Health Services Research, UCLA School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA
Michael C. Lu, MD, MPH , Department of Community Health Sciences and Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of California Los Angeles School of Public Health and School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA
Shin Margaret Chao, PhD, MPH , Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Los Angeles, CA
Cynthia Harding, MPH , Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Los Angeles, CA
Giannina M. Donatoni, PhD, MT(ASCP) , Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Los Angeles, CA
Chandra Higgins, MPH , Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Los Angeles, CA
Marian Eldahaby , Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Los Angeles, CA
Diana E. Ramos, MD, MPH , Reproductive Health, Los Angeles County-Department of Public Health, Los Angeles, CA
OBJECTIVE: To examine racial and ethnic disparities in maternal resiliency during pregnancy.METHODS: We used data from the first wave of 2007 Los Angeles Mommy and Baby (LAMB) Survey. LAMB is a mail sample survey with telephone follow-up for non-respondents based on multistage clustered design. Our preliminary analyses were based on the responses of 721 women with a live birth in 2007 in Los Angeles County. Maternal resiliency was operationalized as a multi-dimensional construct comprising of personal resources (self-esteem and mastery), social support (partner, social network, and neighborhood support), and spirituality. The relationship between race and ethnicity and maternal resiliency was examined using Pearson's chi square tests RESULTS: Hispanic and Asian and Pacific Islander (API) women were twice as likely as White women to have low mastery (unadjusted OR=1.86-2.43; p<0.001-0.042) and neighborhood support (unadjusted OR=1.58-2.39; p<0.001-0.037) scores. African-American and Hispanic women were 2 to 9 times more likely to have low partner support scores (unadjusted OR=2.16-9.89, p<0.001-0.043). Hispanic women were about twice as likely to have low social network support scores (unadjusted OR=1.72-4.01, p<0.001-0.021). DISCUSSION: Significant racial-ethnic disparities in maternal resiliency during pregnancy exist. Further research regarding maternal resiliency, including self-esteem and spirituality, and its relationship with birth outcomes, is warranted.

Learning Objectives:
By the end of this session, the participants will be able to • Discuss the components of maternal resiliency; • Describe racial-ethnic disparities in maternal resiliency during pregnancy; • Discuss programmatic and policy implications of our findings.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I do not have a conflict of interest.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

See more of: MCH Infant and Child Health Poster Session
See more of: Maternal and Child Health