PRENATAL-CARE, BIRTH OUTCOMES AND NEWBORN HOSPITALIZATION COSTS - PATTERNS AMONG HISPANICS IN NEW-JERSEY

Context: With the influx of Latin American immigrants to the United St ates and the relatively high fertility of Hispanic women, the importan ce of understanding patterns of birth outcomes within the heterogeneou s Hispanic community is growing. Methods: Vital statistics data linked with hospital discharge files for single, liveborn infants delivered in New Jersey to state residents in 1989 and 1990 are used to examine the effects of maternal birthplace and Hispanic ethnicity on early ini tiation of prenatal care, low birth weight, infant mortality and newbo rn hospital costs. Multivariate analyses control far a range of demogr aphic, economic, behavioral and medical factors. Results: White women of Puerto Rican descent have a significantly higher risk than bath non -Hispanic whites and other Hispanic whiles of having a low-birth-weigh t baby. However, their infants do not have an increased risk of mortal ity, and newborn hospitalization costs are not elevated for this group . Mexican-born while women begin prenatal care later than their U.S.-b orn counterparts, but do not have worse birth outcomes. The sharpest c ontrasts are not among Hispanics but between non-Hispanic black and no n-Hispanic white women born in the same place. Conclusions: Ethnicity and birthplace affect prenatal care and birth outcomes but are probabl y not as significant as racial differences. Poor outcomes without elev ated newborn costs may indicate less access to high-quality neonatal c are among some ethnic groups.