Relation of traditional risk factors to intrauterine growth retardation among United States-born and foreign-born Mexican Americans in Chicago.

OBJECTIVES

To determine the relation of traditional sociodemographic characteristics to the small-for-gestational age rates of urban Mexican Americans.

DESIGN

A cross-sectional study.

METHODS

We performed a stratified analysis of 1982-1983 Illinois vital records and 1980 U.S. Census income data. The authors analyzed the 1982-1983 Illinois vital records and 1980 U.S. Census income data to determine whether maternal sociodemographic characteristics are associated with the small-for-gestational age (weight-for-gestational-length < 10th percentile) rates among Mexican Americans in Chicago.

RESULTS

The small-for-gestational age rate was 2.1% for infants with U.S.-born mothers (N = 2,253) compared to 1.4% for infants with foreign-born mothers (N = 8,746); relative risk 1.5 (95% confidence interval 1.1-2.1). For the U.S.-born cohort, maternal education, marital status, parity, prenatal care, and community income were associated with small-for-gestational age rates. In contrast, with the exception of marital status, these commonly cited risk factors were not associated with the small-for-gestational age rates of infants with Mexican-born mothers. The U.S.-born:Mexico-born small-for-gestational age rate ratio fluctuated around 2 among mothers with a high-risk (maternal age < 20 years, < 12 years education, unmarried marital status) demographic profile.

CONCLUSIONS

We conclude that traditional sociodemographic risk factors have different reproductive outcome consequences for U.S.-born and foreign-born Mexican-American mothers.