Low-weight Neonatal Survival Paradox in the Czech Republic

• Analysis of vital statistics for the Czech Republic between 1986 and 1993, including 3,254 infant deaths from350,978 first births to married and single women who conceived at ages 18-29 years, revealed a neonatalsurvival advantage for low-weight infants born to disadvantaged (single, less educated) women, particularly fordeaths from congenital anomalies. This advantage largely disappeared after the neonatal period. The samepatterns have been observed for low-weight infants born to black women in the United States. Since the CzechRepublic had an ethnically homogenous population, virtually universal prenatal care, and uniform institutionalconditions for delivery, Czech results must be attributed to social rather than to biologic or medicalcircumstances. This strengthens the contention that in the United States, the black neonatal survival paradoxmay be due as much to race-related social stigmatization and consequent disadvantage as to any hypothesizedhereditary influences on birth-weight-specific survival. Am J Epidemiol 1999; 149:447-53.

Ämnesord

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Sociologi -- Sociologi (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Sociology -- Sociology (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

birth weight; ethnic groups; gestational age; infant mortality; neonatology; racial stocks; socioeconomic factors; survival analysis

Demography

demografi

Publikations- och innehållstyp

ref (ämneskategori)

art (ämneskategori)