The Effect Of Race On The Reproductive Patterns Of Non-Hispanic Women

In 2014 there were 3,985,924 births in the U.S, an increase by 1% from last year. The fertility rate was 62.9 births per 1000 in women between the ages of 15-44 (NCHS site). According to current literature, non-Hispanic White women tend to have favorable reproductive outcomes while non-Hispanic Black women tend to be disproportionately affected by adverse reproductive outcomes, in addition to having the worst reproductive outcome among Hispanic, Asians and Whites (Bediako) (Jonelle). One study examined the role of race and socioeconomic status on reproductive outcome and found that non-Hispanic Black women had higher rates of preterm and low birth weight among each stratified socioeconomic class (Dang). Although studies have confirmed that non-Hispanic Black women have the worst reproductive outcomes, the reasons are not fully understood.
Also we are interested in investigating whether the effect of race on mean birth weight differs depending on mother’s age, obesity status or education level. Ultimately we are interested in determining which factors are associated with difference in mean birth weight between non-Hispanic Black and non-Hispanic White