An extended evaluation of the weathering hypothesis for birthweight
<b>Background</b>: Prior weathering research finds that US-born Black women experience more rapidly deteriorating birthweight outcomes at older ages than US-born White women. <b>Objective</b>: The present study extends this literature by evaluating maternal age-birthweight...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research
2020-09-01
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| Series: | Demographic Research |
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| Online Access: | https://www.demographic-research.org/articles/volume/43/31 |
| _version_ | 1827862781677797376 |
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| author | Samuel Fishman |
| author_facet | Samuel Fishman |
| author_sort | Samuel Fishman |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <b>Background</b>: Prior weathering research finds that US-born Black women experience more rapidly deteriorating birthweight outcomes at older ages than US-born White women. <b>Objective</b>: The present study extends this literature by evaluating maternal age-birthweight associations across a variety of racial/ethnic-nativity groups. <b>Methods</b>: Race/ethnicity-nativity stratified average marginal effects of maternal age on low and very low birthweight are estimated using data from 2014 through 2018 US cohort natality files. <b>Results</b>: Older maternal ages at birth are associated with higher probabilities of low and very low birthweight for most racial/ethnic-nativity groups. Consistent with the weathering hypothesis, birth at older maternal ages (e.g., 30‒34 or 40+) is more predictive of low and very low birthweight for US-born Black, American Indian/Alaskan Native, and US-born Mexican American women than for US-born Whites. In contrast, some foreign-born populations exhibit relatively weak relationships between maternal age and low birthweight, suggesting the role of healthy immigrant selection. <b>Contribution</b>: Some disadvantaged racial/ethnic-nativity groups ‒ US-born Black, American Indian/Alaskan Native, and US-born Mexican American women ‒ exhibit more rapid increases in the risk of low birthweight at older maternal ages than US-born White women. These patterns are consistent with the weathering hypothesis. Future research may benefit from using linked family data and sibling modeling approaches to estimate causal models of weathering. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T13:59:08Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c7ffab33a79f431f9da4e48be8e3fa0c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1435-9871 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T13:59:08Z |
| publishDate | 2020-09-01 |
| publisher | Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Demographic Research |
| spelling | doaj.art-c7ffab33a79f431f9da4e48be8e3fa0c2023-08-22T09:45:04ZengMax Planck Institute for Demographic ResearchDemographic Research1435-98712020-09-01433110.4054/DemRes.2020.43.314886An extended evaluation of the weathering hypothesis for birthweightSamuel Fishman0Duke University<b>Background</b>: Prior weathering research finds that US-born Black women experience more rapidly deteriorating birthweight outcomes at older ages than US-born White women. <b>Objective</b>: The present study extends this literature by evaluating maternal age-birthweight associations across a variety of racial/ethnic-nativity groups. <b>Methods</b>: Race/ethnicity-nativity stratified average marginal effects of maternal age on low and very low birthweight are estimated using data from 2014 through 2018 US cohort natality files. <b>Results</b>: Older maternal ages at birth are associated with higher probabilities of low and very low birthweight for most racial/ethnic-nativity groups. Consistent with the weathering hypothesis, birth at older maternal ages (e.g., 30‒34 or 40+) is more predictive of low and very low birthweight for US-born Black, American Indian/Alaskan Native, and US-born Mexican American women than for US-born Whites. In contrast, some foreign-born populations exhibit relatively weak relationships between maternal age and low birthweight, suggesting the role of healthy immigrant selection. <b>Contribution</b>: Some disadvantaged racial/ethnic-nativity groups ‒ US-born Black, American Indian/Alaskan Native, and US-born Mexican American women ‒ exhibit more rapid increases in the risk of low birthweight at older maternal ages than US-born White women. These patterns are consistent with the weathering hypothesis. Future research may benefit from using linked family data and sibling modeling approaches to estimate causal models of weathering.https://www.demographic-research.org/articles/volume/43/31birth weightfertilitymaternal agenativityrace/ethnicityweathering |
| spellingShingle | Samuel Fishman An extended evaluation of the weathering hypothesis for birthweight Demographic Research birth weight fertility maternal age nativity race/ethnicity weathering |
| title | An extended evaluation of the weathering hypothesis for birthweight |
| title_full | An extended evaluation of the weathering hypothesis for birthweight |
| title_fullStr | An extended evaluation of the weathering hypothesis for birthweight |
| title_full_unstemmed | An extended evaluation of the weathering hypothesis for birthweight |
| title_short | An extended evaluation of the weathering hypothesis for birthweight |
| title_sort | extended evaluation of the weathering hypothesis for birthweight |
| topic | birth weight fertility maternal age nativity race/ethnicity weathering |
| url | https://www.demographic-research.org/articles/volume/43/31 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT samuelfishman anextendedevaluationoftheweatheringhypothesisforbirthweight AT samuelfishman extendedevaluationoftheweatheringhypothesisforbirthweight |