National measures of infant health in the 1990s were flat, but rates of low birth weight and pret... more National measures of infant health in the 1990s were flat, but rates of low birth weight and preterm birth among blacks, especially in center cities, improved. Health gains were especially marked in Washington, DC. Analysis at the metropolitan area level reveals that center city-suburban gaps in black infant health declined. The first two chapters of this dissertation use the 1990-2001 National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) Natality Files to examine improvements in infant health among African-Americans, first, in Washington, DC, and second, in 37 metropolitan areas with large black populations. Although Washington, DC also experienced substantial, above-average reductions in its non-marital and teen birth ratios, changes in the sociodemographic profile (age, marital status, education, parity) of mothers in the District of Columbia contributed little, if anything, to black infant health gains in the 1990s. Instead, a steep decline in prenatal smoking is the most important, identifiable cause of improved infant health, though we cannot distinguish between the effects of declines in measured tobacco use and unmeasured crack use. These findings are applicable to black trends in center city and suburban infant health and spatial health disparities in a broad sample of metropolitan areas, as well. Decomposition analysis using 1990 and 2000 Census data reveals that Table of Contents CHAPTER 1 WHY DID REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH IN WASHINGTON, DC IMPROVE IN THE 1990S? THE ROLE OF DEMOGRAPHIC AND SOCIOECONOMIC CHANGE.
National measures of infant health in the 1990s were flat, but rates of low birth weight and pret... more National measures of infant health in the 1990s were flat, but rates of low birth weight and preterm birth among blacks, especially in center cities, improved. Health gains were especially marked in Washington, DC. Analysis at the metropolitan area level reveals that center city-suburban gaps in black infant health declined. The first two chapters of this dissertation use the 1990-2001 National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) Natality Files to examine improvements in infant health among African-Americans, first, in Washington, DC, and second, in 37 metropolitan areas with large black populations. Although Washington, DC also experienced substantial, above-average reductions in its non-marital and teen birth ratios, changes in the sociodemographic profile (age, marital status, education, parity) of mothers in the District of Columbia contributed little, if anything, to black infant health gains in the 1990s. Instead, a steep decline in prenatal smoking is the most important, identifiable cause of improved infant health, though we cannot distinguish between the effects of declines in measured tobacco use and unmeasured crack use. These findings are applicable to black trends in center city and suburban infant health and spatial health disparities in a broad sample of metropolitan areas, as well. Decomposition analysis using 1990 and 2000 Census data reveals that Table of Contents CHAPTER 1 WHY DID REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH IN WASHINGTON, DC IMPROVE IN THE 1990S? THE ROLE OF DEMOGRAPHIC AND SOCIOECONOMIC CHANGE.
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