The validity of information on "race" and "Hispanic ethnicity" in California birth certificate data

Objective. To evaluate the validity of racial/ethnic information in Califor nia birth certificate data. Data Sources. Computerized birth certificate data and postpartum interviews with California mothers. Study Design and Data Collection. Birth certificates were matched with face -to-face structured postpartum interviews with 7,428 mothers to compare rac ial/ethnic information between the two data sources. Interviews were conduc ted in Spanish or English during delivery stays at 16 California hospitals, 1994-1995. Principal Findings. The sensitivity of racial/ethnic classification in birt h certificate data was very high (94 percent to 99 percent) for African Ame ricans, Asians/Pacific Islanders, Europeans/Middle Easterners, and Latinas (Hispanics). For Native Americans, however, the sensitivity was only 54 per cent. The positive predictive value of birth certificate classification of race/ethnicity was high for all racial/ethnic groups (96 percent to 97 perc ent). Conclusions. Despite limited training of birth clerks, the maternal racial/ ethnic information in California birth certificate data appears to be a val id measure of self-identified race and Hispanic ethnicity for groups other than Native Americans.