Maternal Socioeconomic Factors and Racial/Ethnic Differences in Neonatal Anthropometry

• Main Authors: Calvin Lambert, Jessica L. Gleason, Sarah J. Pugh, Aiyi Liu, Alaina Bever, William A. Grobman, Roger B. Newman, Deborah Wing, Nicole M. Gerlanc, Fasil Tekola-Ayele, Katherine L. Grantz
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2020-10-01
• Series: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
• Subjects: abdominal circumference; biparietal diameter; birthweight; disparities; fetal growth; head circumference
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/19/7323

Disparities in birthweight by maternal race/ethnicity are commonly observed. It is unclear to what extent these disparities are correlates of individual socioeconomic factors. In a prospective cohort of 1645 low-risk singleton pregnancies included in the NICHD Fetal Growth Study (2009–2013), neonatal anthropometry was measured by trained personnel using a standard protocol. Socioeconomic characteristics included employment status, marital status, health insurance, annual income, and education. Separate adjusted generalized linear models were fit to both test the effect of race/ethnicity and the interaction of race/ethnicity and socioeconomic characteristics on neonatal anthropometry. Mean infant birthweight, length, head circumference, and abdominal circumference all differed by race/ethnicity (<i>p <</i> 0.001). We observed no statistically significant interactions between race/ethnicity and full-time employment/student status, marital status, insurance, or education in association with birthweight, neonatal exam weight, length, or head or abdominal circumference at examination. The interaction between income and race/ethnicity was significant only for abdominal circumference (<i>p =</i> 0.027), with no other significant interactions for other growth parameters, suggesting that racial/ethnic differences in neonatal anthropometry did not vary by individual socioeconomic factors in low-risk women. Our results do not preclude structural factors, such as lifetime exposure to poverty, as an explanation for racial/ethnic disparities.