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Explaining ethnic disparities in preterm birth in Argentina and Ecuador
Journal article   Peer reviewed

Explaining ethnic disparities in preterm birth in Argentina and Ecuador

George L Wehby, Mariela Pawluk, Kwame A Nyarko and Jorge S López-Camelo
Global public health, Vol.13(8), pp.1126-1143
08/03/2018
DOI: 10.1080/17441692.2016.1251603
PMCID: PMC5568976
PMID: 27875924
url
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/5568976View
Open Access

Abstract

Little is understood about racial/ethnic disparities in infant health in South America. We quantified the extent to which the disparity in preterm birth (PTB; <37 gestational weeks) rate between infants of Native only ancestry and those of European only ancestry in Argentina and Ecuador are explained by household socio-economic, demographic, healthcare use, and geographic location indicators. The samples included 5199 infants born between 2000 and 2011 from Argentina and 1579 infants born between 2001 and 2011 from Ecuador. An Oaxaca-Blinder type decomposition model adapted to binary outcomes was estimated to explain the disparity in PTB risk across groups of variables and specific variables. Maternal use of prenatal care services significantly explained the PTB disparity, by nearly 57% and 30% in Argentina and Ecuador, respectively. Household socio-economic status explained an additional 26% of the PTB disparity in Argentina. Differences in maternal use of prenatal care may partly explain ethnic disparities in PTB in Argentina and Ecuador. Improving access to prenatal care may reduce ethnic disparities in PTB risk in these countries.
Child health ethnic disparities health inequalities preterm birth racial disparities

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