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INCOME INCONGRUITY, RACE AND PRETERM BIRTH
Citation:
MESSER, L. C. AND P. MENDOLA. INCOME INCONGRUITY, RACE AND PRETERM BIRTH. Presented at Society for Epidemiologic Research, Boston, MA, June 19 - 22, 2007.
Impact/Purpose:
Explore association between reported income incongruity and PTB.
Description:
Previous research with vital records finds income incongruity associated with adverse birth outcomes. We examined the effects of negative income incongruity (reporting lower household income than the census tract median household income) on preterm birth (PTB <37 weeks completed gestation) using self-reported income for white (n=424) and black (n=566) non-Hispanic women living in Wake County NC tracts (1995-2005). Geocoded Pregnancy, Infection and Nutrition (PIN) cohort (n=1056) and U.S. census (2000) were analyzed in race-stratified logistic regression models. Income was collected during 2nd trimester telephone interview; gestational age was calculated from early ultrasound and reported last menstrual period. Blacks were less likely than whites to live in incongruous tracts (Odds Ratio [OR]=0.6; 95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 0.4, 0.8). White women of low education (= 12 years) were more likely to live in incongruous tracts (OR=1.8; CI: 1.1, 3.0) than less educated black women (OR: 1.3; CI: 0.9, 1.9). Being an older white women (30-34 and 35+) was protective against negative income incongruity (OR=0.4; CI: 0.2, 0.9 and OR= 0.4; CI: 0.2, 1.0, respectively), as was being unmarried (OR=0.4; CI: 0.2, 0.7). No association for age or marital status was noted for black women. In models adjusted for age, marital status and education, negative income incongruity was not associated with PTB for white women (OR=0.7; CI: 0.3, 1.6) but was suggestive of increased odds for black women (OR=1.5; CI: 0.8, 3.0). Unlike previous research that relies on maternal characteristics rather than income to estimate income incongruity, this work finds little evidence for an association between reported income incongruity and PTB. Associations will be confirmed with the 5-county PIN population (n~3800). This is an abstract or a proposed presentation and does not necessarily reflect EPA policy.