A Cross-National Comparison of Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Low Birth Weight in the United States and England

Abstract

OBJECTIVE. We used 2 new nationally representative surveys to compare racial and ethnic differences in low birth weight in the United States and England.METHODS. Risk factors and rates of low birth weight were compared across groups for singleton births within each country (white, black, Hispanic, Asian, and American Indian mothers in the United States; white, black, and Asian mothers in England). Crude rates and rates adjusted for socioeconomic status and behaviors were compared. Additional comparisons were limited to native-born mothers.RESULTS. Racial and ethnic disparities in low birth weight are as large in England as in the United States. Socioeconomic status and behaviors explain little of the variation across racial and ethnic groups in either country.CONCLUSIONS. Health disadvantages associated with being a minority do not seem to be a uniquely American phenomenon. Universal health care, as provided in the United Kingdom, alone may be insufficient to reduce racial and ethnic disparities in low birth weight.