Size at birth in an inner-city population

Recent comparisons of growth curves and incidence of low birth weight are a vailable for Caucasians and African-Americans or Hispanics. To compare size at birth in Hispanics with African-Americans in an inner-city population, we analyzed data on mother-infant pairs admitted to Jacobi Medical Center f rom January 1, 1995 until May 31, 1997 and those with a gestational age les s than 34 weeks admitted from June 1, 1997 until December 31, 1997. The pop ulation mostly included mothers covered by Medicaid. The study sample inclu ded 2852 infants (1641 Hispanics and 1211 African-Americans). Among singlet ons, the incidence of teenage pregnancy was higher and those of premature d elivery and low birth weight were lower in Hispanics than in African-Americ ans. Among full-term singletons, boys were heavier than girls (difference 1 16 g, confidence interval (CI) 57,174, p < 0.001 after adjusting for gestat ional age, gender, and teenage pregnancy), and Hispanics were heavier than African-Americans (adjusted difference 70 g, Confidence Interval (CI) 11,12 8, p = 0.019). Additional studies are needed to assess the effect of race o n neonatal size after adjusting for differences, in prepregnancy weight, we ight gain, parity, social class, or other factors.