University of California, Berkeley, Tolman Hall 3659, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
Matern Child Health J. 2009 Nov;13(6):755-68. doi: 10.1007/s10995-009-0475-0. Epub 2009 Jun 25.
Epidemiologists have shown how birth outcomes are generally robust for immigrant Latina mothers, despite often situated in poor households, advanced by their strong prenatal and nutritional practices. But little is known about (1) how these protective factors may differ among Latino subgroups, (2) the extent to which birth outcomes, ongoing maternal practices, and family supports advance Latino toddlers' health and physical growth, and (3) whether the same processes advance toddlers' early cognitive growth. We drew on a national probability sample of 8,114 infants born in 2001, including 1,450 of diverse Latino origins. Data come from birth records, maternal interviews when the child was 9 and 24 months of age, and direct assessments of health status, physical growth, and cognitive proficiencies. Descriptive analyses compared Mexican-heritage and other Latino mothers and toddlers relative to middle-class whites. Multivariate regression techniques identified predictors of child health, weight, and BMI, as well as cognitive proficiencies at 24 months. Infants of Mexican-heritage or less acculturated Latina mothers displayed robust birth outcomes, compared with other ethnic groups. The low incidence of premature births and low birthweight among these mothers continued to advance their cognitive growth through 24 months of age. Yet Latino children overall displayed smaller gains in cognitive proficiencies between 9 and 24 months, compared with middle-class populations, attributable to Latinas' lower levels of maternal education, weaker preliteracy practices, and a higher ratio of children per resident adult. Health practitioners should recognize that many Latina mothers display healthy prenatal practices and give birth to robust infants. But these early protective factors do not necessarily advance early cognitive growth. Screening practices, early interventions, and federal policy should become more sensitive to these countervailing dynamics.
流行病学家已经表明，尽管移民拉丁裔母亲通常生活在贫困家庭中，但她们强烈的产前和营养实践使她们的生育结果普遍稳健。但对于以下问题知之甚少：（1）这些保护因素在拉丁裔亚群中的差异程度；（2）生育结果、持续的产妇实践和家庭支持在多大程度上促进拉丁裔幼儿的健康和身体成长；（3）同样的过程是否促进幼儿的早期认知成长。我们利用了一个包括 8114 名 2001 年出生的婴儿的全国概率样本，其中包括 1450 名来自不同拉丁裔背景的婴儿。数据来自出生记录、儿童 9 个月和 24 个月时的母亲访谈以及对健康状况、身体成长和认知能力的直接评估。描述性分析将墨西哥裔和其他拉丁裔母亲和幼儿与中产阶级白人进行了比较。多元回归技术确定了儿童健康、体重和 BMI 以及 24 个月时认知能力的预测因素。与其他族裔群体相比，具有墨西哥裔或较低文化融合程度的拉丁裔母亲的婴儿生育结果稳健。这些母亲的早产和低出生体重发生率较低，这一优势一直持续到 24 个月，从而促进了他们的认知成长。然而，与中产阶级群体相比，拉丁裔儿童在 9 至 24 个月期间的认知能力提升幅度较小，这归因于拉丁裔母亲的教育程度较低、读写前实践较弱以及每个成年居民的儿童比例较高。医疗保健从业者应该认识到，许多拉丁裔母亲表现出健康的产前实践并生育出健康的婴儿。但这些早期的保护因素不一定会促进早期的认知成长。筛查实践、早期干预和联邦政策应该更加敏感地认识到这些相互矛盾的动态。
