Black and White: Does Race Matter for Infant Health Outcomes among Hispanics?

Juanita J. Chinn, Princeton University

There is little published socio-demographic research that examines the racial heterogeneity of the Hispanic population and its effect on the physical health. I examine if and to what extent the racial heterogeneity of the Hispanic population in the United States has disparate effects on infant health outcomes. Using the National Center for Health Statistics 1995-2004 Linked Birth and Infant Death Cohort, I test for racial disparities in low birth weight and infant mortality within the US Hispanic population, comparing Hispanic blacks and Hispanic whites. I find that Hispanic black infants have greater odds of being born with low birth weight relative to Hispanic white infants, with additional evidence that this racial disparity in health increases with maternal age. I also find that Hispanic black infants experience a greater risk of death during the first year of life than Hispanic white infants. This disparity does not increase with maternal age.