Relationship of Paternity Status, Welfare Reform Period, and Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Infant Mortality

Emmanuel M. Ngui · Alicia Cortright

13 citations0/0 files storedAmerican Journal of Men s Health

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Family Dynamics and Relationships Infant Development and Preterm Care Maternal and Neonatal Healthcare

Abstract

The objective of this study was to examine the relationship of paternity status, welfare reform period, and racial/ethnic disparities in infant mortality. The study used retrospective analysis of birth outcomes data from singleton birth/infant death data in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, from 1993 to 2009. Multivariate logistic regression was used to examine the relationship between paternity status, welfare reform period, and infant mortality, adjusting for maternal and infant characteristics. Data consisted of almost 185,000 singleton live births and 1,739 infant deaths. Although unmarried women with no father on record made up about 32% of the live births, they accounted for over two thirds of the infant deaths compared with married women with established paternity who made up 39% of live births but had about a quarter of infant deaths. After adjustments, any form of paternity establishment was protective against infant mortality across all racial/ethnic groups. Unmarried women with no father on record had twice to triple the odds of infant mortality among all racial/ethnic groups. The likelihood of infant mortality was only significantly greater for African American women in the postwelfare (1999-2004; odds ratio = 1.27; 95% confidence interval = 1.10-1.46) period compared with the 1993 to 1998 period. Study findings suggest that any form of paternity establishment may have protective effect against infant mortality. Welfare reform changes may have reduced some of the protection against infant mortality among unmarried African American women that was present before the welfare legislation. Policies and programs that promote or support increased paternal involvement and establishment of paternity may improve birth outcomes and help reduce infant mortality.

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2004Diverging destinies: How children are faring under the second demographic transition 2009The role of the father in child development 2013Deaths: final data for 2010.2007Fathers' Influence on Their Children's Cognitive and Emotional Development: From Toddlers to Pre-K 2004The development and significance of father-child relationships in two-parent families.2005Explaining Disproportionately High Rates of Adverse Birth Outcomes Among African Americans: The Impact of Stress, Racism, and Related Factors in Pregnancy.2004The impact of welfare reform on marriage and divorce 2008Claiming Fatherhood: Race and the Dynamics of Paternal Involvement among Unmarried Men

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