Date of Conferral

2-15-2024

Date of Award

February 2024

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Public Health

Advisor

Jeanne Connors

Abstract

Low birthweight (LBW) affects around 30 million infants annually. Infants with LBW face a 20-fold risk of mortality compared to those weighing 2,500 grams or more at birth. In the United States, the prevalence of LBW is nearly double among Blacks compared to Whites. Despite 61 million U.S. adults with disabilities, including 35 million women, there remains a significant research gap concerning factors that contribute to LBW among Black mothers with a disability (BMWD). This retrospective study employed 2019 and 2020 Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) datasets to investigate the association between LBW and sociodemographic factors among BMWD. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression were conducted to determine statistical significance. The social-ecological model (SEM) served as the theoretical framework. Results of logistic regression analysis showed that family income (p = .038), marital status (p = .008), and maternal race (p < .001) significantly predicted LBW among BMWD. Unmarried BMWD had a 32% higher chance of having LBW infants compared to their married counterparts. Additionally, BMWD were 1.87 times more likely to have LBW infants than mixed-race mothers. While disability status was positively associated with LBW (p = .165), it did not independently predict LBW beyond the effects of sociodemographic variables. The PRAMS survey, available only in English and Spanish, generalizes solely to live births of singletons or multiples of fewer than four. The implications for social change include a possible reduction in LBW, which will, in turn, decrease the infant mortality rate and health expenditure.

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