Race and Ethnicity of Reproductive-Age Females Affected by US State Abortion Bans.

This study compares the race and ethnicity of reproductive-age females between states that implemented restrictive abortion policies after the Dobbs v Jackson Women's Health Organization decision and states that did not.

Association between Child Tax Credit advance payments and food insufficiency in households experiencing economic shocks.

The COVID-19 pandemic brought increases in economic shocks due to poor health and lost employment, which reduced economic well-being, especially in households with children. The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 expanded Child Tax Credit (CTC) payments to include eligibility for the lowest income households, boosted benefit levels, and provided monthly advance payments to households with children. Using Census Household Pulse Survey respondent data from January 2021 to July 2022, we evaluated the association between these advance CTC monthly payments and food insufficiency among households with children experiencing health- or employment-related economic shocks (defined as missed work due to COVID-19/other illness or COVID-19-related employer closure/layoff/furlough). Using a triple difference design, we found that the advance CTC was associated with greater reductions in food insufficiency among households with children experiencing economic shocks both compared with households without children and with households with children not experiencing economic shocks. Permanently expanding the advance CTC could create resilience to economic shocks during disease outbreaks, climate disasters, and recessions.

Born on the wrong side of the tracks: Exploring the causal effects of segregation on infant health.

Prior research has found that a high level of residential racial segregation, or the degree to which racial/ethnic groups are isolated from one another, is associated with worsened infant health outcomes, particularly among non-Hispanic (NH) Black infant populations. However, because exposure to segregation is non-random, it is unclear whether and to what extent segregation is causally linked to infant health. To overcome this empirical limitation, we leverage exogenous variation in the placement of railroad tracks in the 19th century to predict contemporary segregation, an approach first introduced by Ananat (2011). In alignment with prior literature, we find that residential segregation has statistically significant associations with negative birth outcomes among Black infant populations in the area. Using OLS methods underestimates the negative impacts of segregation on infant health. We fail to detect comparable effects on health outcomes among NH White infant populations. Further, we identify several key mechanisms by which residential segregation could influence health outcomes among Black infant populations, including lower access to prenatal care during the first trimester, higher levels of anti-Black prejudice, greater transportation barriers, and increased food insecurity. Given that poor birth outcomes have adverse effects on adults' health and well-being, the findings suggest that in-utero exposure to residential segregation could have important implications for Black-White inequality over the life course.

Equitable Artificial Intelligence in Obstetrics, Maternal-Fetal Medicine, and Neonatology.

Artificial intelligence (AI) offers potential benefits in the interconnected fields of obstetrics, maternal-fetal medicine, and neonatology to bridge disciplinary silos for a unified approach. Artificial intelligence has the capacity to improve diagnostic accuracy and clinical decision making for the birthing parent-neonate dyad. There is an inherent risk of ingrained biases in AI that perpetuate existing inequalities; thus, care must be taken to include diverse data sets with interdisciplinary collaboration that centers equitable AI implementation. As AI plays an increasingly important role in perinatal care, we advocate for its cautious, equity-focused application to benefit the perinatal dyad while avoiding the intensification of health care disparities and disciplinary silos.

Personal- vs. Group-Level Discrimination and Physical and Mental Health Outcomes Among Black Adolescents.

BACKGROUND: The negative health consequences of personal experiences of racial discrimination (personal-level discrimination) has been well-documented across developmental stages, including adolescence, in Black individuals. There is also some evidence suggesting perceiving other Black individuals experiencing racial discrimination (group-level discrimination) can protect one's health in Black adults. METHODS: This study examined the role of personal- and group-level discrimination in Black adolescent health. The study was a secondary analysis of survey data collected from 186 Black adolescents that included reports of discrimination, physical function, anxiety, and depression. RESULTS: Black adolescents who reported greater, as opposed to lower, personal-level discrimination were more likely to experience poorer physical and mental health outcomes. While group-level discrimination was also associated with physical health outcomes, it was not directly associated with mental health outcomes. Importantly, across all three health outcomes, awareness of group-level discrimination mitigated the negative health consequences of personal-level discrimination. Among adolescents who reported low levels of group-level discrimination, personal-level discrimination was associated negatively with physical function and positively with anxiety and depressive symptoms. Among adolescents who reported high levels of group-level discrimination, there was no association between personal-level discrimination and any of the health outcomes. DISCUSSION: Consistent with prior research with Black adults, awareness of high group-level discrimination may protect Black adolescents from the negative health consequences of personal-level discrimination. The pattern of the results is also consistent with the literature of the personal-group discrimination discrepancy (PGDD) and psychological wellbeing. Future research should investigate the psychological mechanisms implicated in PGDD (e.g., external attribution of discrimination and intragroup comparison) as potential coping strategies for Black adolescents against the negative health consequences of personal-level discrimination.

Sleep and Fatigue as Mediators of Racial Discrimination and Internalizing Symptoms in Black Adolescent-Caregiver Dyads.

While the association of racial discrimination and internalizing symptoms in Black individuals is well established, we still have a limited understanding of mechanisms and contextual factors influencing this association, such as sleep and the family context. The present study examined sleep and fatigue as mediators underlying the relationship between racial discrimination and internalizing symptoms within Black adolescent-caregiver dyads. Using data from a larger survey study of risk and resilience in Black adolescents (Mage= 14.36, 49.5% female) and their caregivers (Mage= 39.25, 75.9% female), we used the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model extended Mediation (APIMeM) to test associations of racial discrimination, sleep factors, and internalizing symptoms among 179 dyads. Significant actor effects revealed that sleep disturbance and fatigue independently mediated the association of racial discrimination and internalizing symptoms among adolescents and caregivers. Additionally, partner effects were found, such that adolescents' experiences of discrimination were indirectly associated with their caregivers' internalizing symptoms via caregiver fatigue. No direct or indirect effects of caregiver experiences of discrimination on adolescent outcomes were found. The findings highlight the important role sleep and fatigue play in the link between racial discrimination and internalizing symptoms among Black adolescents and adults; and the role that the family context may play in this association. Mental health and sleep interventions for Black individuals should address the impact of racial discrimination on internalizing symptoms, with an emphasis on family-focused interventions.

Implicit and explicit racial prejudice among medical professionals: updated estimates from a population-based study.

Background: Prior research provides evidence of implicit and explicit anti-Black prejudice among US physicians. However, we know little about whether racialized prejudice varies among physicians and non-physician healthcare workers relative to the general population. Methods: Using ordinary least squares models and data from Harvard's Project Implicit (2007-2019), we assessed the associations between self-reported occupational status (physician, non-physician healthcare worker) and implicit (N = 1,500,268) and explicit prejudice (N = 1,429,677) toward Black, Arab-Muslim, Asian, and Native American populations, net of demographic characteristics. We used STATA 17 for all statistical analyses. Findings: Physicians and non-physician healthcare workers exhibited more implicit and explicit anti-Black and anti-Arab-Muslim prejudice than the general population. After controlling for demographics, these differences became non-significant for physicians but remained for non-physician healthcare workers (ß = 0.027 and 0.030, p < 0.01). Demographic controls largely explained anti-Asian prejudice among both groups, and physicians and non-physician healthcare workers exhibited comparatively lower (ß = -0.124, p < 0.01) and similar levels of anti-Native implicit prejudice, respectively. Finally, white non-physician healthcare workers exhibited the highest levels of anti-Black prejudice. Interpretation: Demographic characteristics explained racialized prejudice among physicians, but not fully among non-physician healthcare workers. More research is needed to understand the causes and consequences of elevated levels of prejudice among non-physician healthcare workers. By acknowledging implicit and explicit prejudice as important reflections of systemic racism, this study highlights the need to understand the role of healthcare providers and systems in generating health disparities. Funding: UW-Madison Centennial Scholars Program, Society of Family Planning Research Fund, UW Center for Demography and Ecology, the County Health Rankings and Roadmaps Program and the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Economic costs and cost-effectiveness of conditional cash transfers for the uptake of services for the prevention of vertical HIV transmissions in a resource-limited setting.

BACKGROUND: Prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) is critical for halting the HIV epidemic. However, innovative approaches to improve PMTCT uptake may be resource-intensive. We examined the economic costs and cost-effectiveness of conditional cash transfers (CCTs) for the uptake of PMTCT services in the Democratic Republic of Congo. METHODS: We leveraged data from a randomized controlled trial of CCTs (n = 216) versus standard PMTCT care alone (standard of care (SOC), n = 217). Economic cost data came from multiple sources, with costs analyzed from the societal perspective and reported in 2016 international dollars (I$). Effectiveness outcomes included PMTCT uptake (i.e., accepting all PMTCT visits and services) and retention (i.e., in HIV care at six weeks post-partum). Generalized estimating equations estimated effectiveness (relative risk) and incremental costs, with incremental effectiveness reported as the number of women needing CCTs for an additional PMTCT uptake or retention. We evaluated the cost-effectiveness of the CCTs at various levels of willingness-to-pay and assessed uncertainty using deterministic sensitivity analysis and cost-effectiveness acceptability curves. RESULTS: Mean costs per participant were I$516 (CCTs) and I$431 (SOC), representing an incremental cost of I$85 (95% CI: 59, 111). PMTCT uptake was more likely for CCTs vs SOC (68% vs 53%, p < 0.05), with seven women needing CCTs for each additional PMTCT service uptake; twelve women needed CCTs for an additional PMTCT retention. The incremental cost-effectiveness of CCTs vs SOC was I$595 (95% CI: I$550, I$638) for PMTCT uptake and I$1028 (95% CI: I$931, I$1125) for PMTCT retention. CCTs would be an efficient use of resources if society's willingness-to-pay for an additional woman who takes up PMTCT services is at least I$640. In the worst-case scenario, the findings remained relatively robust. CONCLUSIONS: Given the relatively low cost of the CCTs, policies supporting CCTs may decrease onward HIV transmission and expedite progress toward ending the epidemic.

Racial disparities in post-operative pain experience and treatment following cesarean birth.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate racial/ethnic differences in post-operative pain experience and opioid medication use (morphine milligram equivalent) in the first 24 h following cesarean birth. METHODS: This study was a single-center retrospective cohort of birthing persons who underwent cesarean deliveries between 1/1/16 and 12/31/17. A total of 2,228 cesarean deliveries were analyzed. The primary outcome was average pain, which was the mean of all documented self-reported pain scores (0-10 scale) during the first 24 h post-delivery. The secondary outcome included oral morphine equivalents used in the first 24 h post-delivery. Linear regression was performed to examine whether the race/ethnicity of the birthing parent was associated with mean pain scores and oral morphine equivalents, controlling for confounding variables. RESULTS: In multivariate analyses non-Hispanic Black birthing persons reported higher mean pain scores (Coefficient: 0.61, 95% confidence interval [0.39-0.82], p < .001]) than non-Hispanic White birthing persons, but received similar quantities of morphine milligram equivalent (Coefficient: -0.98 mg, 95% confidence interval [-5.93-3.97], p = .698]). Non-Hispanic Asian birthing persons reported similar reported mean pain scores to those of non-Hispanic White birthing persons (Coefficient: 0.02 mg, 95% confidence interval [-0.17-0.22], p = .834]), but received less morphine milligram equivalent (Coefficient: -5.47 mg, 95% confidence interval [-10.05 to -0.90], p = .019). When controlling for reported mean pain scores, both non-Hispanic Black (Coefficient: -6.36 mg, 95% confidence interval [-10.97 to -1.75], p = .007) and non-Hispanic Asian birthing persons (Coefficient: -5.66 mg, 95% confidence interval [-9.89 to -1.43], p = .009) received significantly less morphine milligram equivalents. CONCLUSION: Despite reporting higher mean pain scores, non-Hispanic Black birthing persons did not receive higher quantities of morphine milligram equivalent. Non-Hispanic Asian birthing persons received lower quantities of morphine milligram equivalent despite reporting similar pain scores to non-Hispanic White birthing persons. These differences suggest disparities in post-operative pain management for birthing persons of color in our study population.

Exploring financial stress and resource deprivation as barriers to preferred contraceptive use in Wisconsin in 2021.

OBJECTIVE: This study assessed a broad array of socioeconomic barriers in relation to preferred contraceptive use during a time of exacerbated personal and social financial strain (the COVID-19 pandemic). STUDY DESIGN: Using statewide data collected in early 2021 through the Survey of the Health of Wisconsin, we conducted bivariate analyses exploring the relationship between socioeconomic resources and preferred contraceptive use among Wisconsin women. RESULTS: The survey garnered 1889 responses, with a response rate of 34%. The sample for the current study (N = 247) included only adult women of reproductive age who reported current contraceptive use. Nearly one-third (32.8%) of contraceptive users reported that they were not using their preferred method. We found that greater resource deprivation, including housing instability (had to relocate: p = 0.004; unable to pay rent and/or mortgage: p = 0.008), food insecurity (ran out of food: p = 0.003; worried about running out of food: p = 0.008), and greater financial stress (p < 0.001), were significantly associated with lowered likelihood of using one's preferred contraceptive method. CONCLUSIONS: Findings indicated that people lacking socioeconomic resources, including adequate food and housing, may be unable to access their preferred contraceptive method(s). Amidst competing demands on time and resources, the inability to obtain preferred contraceptive method(s) may represent system-wide barriers as well as people's lowered ability to prioritize and access care in light of socioeconomic struggles. IMPLICATIONS: Health care providers and health systems should work to address structural barriers to care and bolster community resources in ways that promote patients' reproductive autonomy. There is also a need for continued research on specific socioeconomic determinants of preferred contraceptive use and potential solutions that bolster community resources.

Source of Prenatal Care and Nonreceipt of Postpartum Health Care in the United States.

Background: Prior work finds that receiving prenatal care is positively associated with receiving postpartum health care. However, less is known about whether postpartum health care receipt varies by the source of prenatal care. Materials and Methods: This study analyzed data from the 2011-2017 U.S. National Survey of Family Growth to examine associations between the source of prenatal care (private care facility, public/community health facility, other source, or no prenatal care) and nonreceipt of postpartum health care using weighted multivariable logistic regression models. This analysis did not require institutional review board approval. Results: Of the total estimation sample (N = 1,190), 10.8% of respondents reported not receiving postpartum health care. There were no statistically significant differences in nonreceipt of postpartum health care between women who received prenatal care from a public/community health facility or other source and those who attended a private facility. However, women who received no prenatal care had a higher likelihood of not receiving postpartum health care compared with those who attended a private facility (adjusted odds ratio 8.7, 95% confidence interval 4.3-17.5). Conclusions: Receiving prenatal care, regardless of the source, reduced the likelihood of a woman not receiving postpartum health care within a year after delivery. Interventions aimed at women who did not receive any prenatal care may be critical for improving postpartum health care use and subsequently preventing adverse maternal outcomes.

Discrimination and Health Among First-Generation Hispanic/Latinx Immigrants: the Roles of Sleep and Fatigue.

INTRODUCTION: A growing literature documents the associations between discrimination and health. Emerging evidence suggests that among Hispanic/Latinx immigrants, discrimination leads to the deterioration of health outcomes over time. While sleep has been proposed as an important mediator of the relationship between discrimination and health, few studies have explicitly investigated this pathway, particularly among Hispanic/Latinx populations. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationships between racial/ethnic discrimination, sleep, and physical and mental health among Hispanic/Latinx immigrants in the USA. Data and Methods Using data from a parent study of first-generation Hispanic/Latinx immigrants in the southeastern USA, we conducted sequential mediation analyses using the bootstrapping method to investigate whether self-reported sleep duration, sleep quality, and fatigue mediate the relationship(s) between self-reported discrimination, as measured by the discrimination subscale of the Riverside Acculturative Stress Inventory, and self-reported physical and mental health. RESULTS: Nocturnal awakenings, fatigue, and sleep quality were statistically significant sequential mediators of the relationship between discrimination and physical health (b = -.001, SE = .001, CI [-.0027, -.0001]); fatigue alone also mediated this relationship (b = -.01, SE = .01, CI [-.0279, -.0003]). Nocturnal awakenings, fatigue, and sleep quality were also significant sequential mediators of the relationship between discrimination and mental health (b = -.001, SE = .001, CI [-.0031, -.0001]). CONCLUSION: Sleep and fatigue play an important role in linking discrimination and health among first-generation Hispanic/Latinx immigrants. The development and implementation of interventions that focus on reducing fatigue among this population could mitigate the effects of unfair treatment on health outcomes.

Are Experiences of Racial Discrimination Associated with Postpartum Depressive Symptoms? A Multistate Analysis of Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System Data.

Background: Postpartum depression (PPD) is a serious public health crisis disproportionately affecting women of color. We examine whether interpersonal racial discrimination is associated with higher odds of postpartum depressive symptoms (PPDS) among women of color and how it may vary by race/ethnicity and maternal educational attainment. Materials and Methods: We present a secondary analysis of cross-sectional data from Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) postnatal surveys conducted in nine jurisdictions between 2012 and 2015 that included a question about being upset by experiences of racial discrimination within 12 months before giving birth. Results: Being upset by racial discrimination was associated with nearly three times higher odds of PPDS. Among women of color with at least some college education, the higher odds of PPDS associated with racial discrimination were greater than threefold, and for women with less than a high school education were less than twofold. Conclusion: Addressing risk factors for PPD, including racial discrimination, may inform strategies to reduce racial disparities in maternal mental health.

Theory and empiricism: A comment on "Interrogating the environmental affordances model" by Pamplin and colleagues.

We strongly support efforts to generate, rigorously test, and falsify hypotheses derived from the Environmental Affordances (EA) Model of Health Disparities, as originated by the late Dr. James S. Jackson (1940-2020). Such efforts are critical to establishing robust, theoretically grounded scientific frameworks that explain the fundamental causes of racial disparities in health and wellbeing. Pamplin et al. (2021) fundamentally misrepresents the EA Model as a framework that (falsely) reifies the role of race as a determinant of health behaviors and health outcomes. Further, both their study design and analytic approach are inappropriate for testing predictions of this framework. We address these issues with the goal of recentering the scholarly conversation about how stress contributes to health, and disparities in health, over the life course.

Rethinking Bias to Achieve Maternal Health Equity: Changing Organizations, Not Just Individuals.

In this article, we address the limitations of existing implicit bias interventions as a strategy for achieving maternal health equity. We then focus on how institutionally sanctioned racial stereotyping harms Black maternal health and marginalizes a key group in the fight for health equity-Black physicians. Finally, we provide strategies to address racial bias in perinatal health care and structural barriers impeding Black physicians' success.

Pregnancy-related weight among immigrant and US-born mothers: The role of nativity, maternal duration of residence, and age at arrival.

OBJECTIVES: The goals of this study were to examine the associations between nativity and pregnancy-related weight and to assess the associations between maternal duration of residence and age at arrival in the United States on pregnancy-related weight among immigrants. METHODS: Using logistic regression and data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Birth Cohort, we assessed differences in preconception weight and gestational weight gain between US-born and immigrant women (N = 7000). We then analyzed differences in both outcomes by duration of residence among immigrants (n = 1850) and examined whether the identified relationships varied by age at arrival in the United States. RESULTS: Compared to US-born mothers, immigrants were less likely to be classified as obese prior to pregnancy (odds ratio 0.435, 95% confidence interval, 0.321-0.590) or experience excessive gestational weight gain (odds ratio 0.757, 95% confidence interval, 0.614-0.978). Among the immigrant sub-sample, living in the United States for 10-15 years (odds ratio 2.737, 95% confidence interval, 1.459-5.134) or 16+ years was positively associated with both preconception obesity (odds ratio 2.918, 95% confidence interval, 1.322-6.439) and excessive gestational weight gain (odds ratio 1.683, 95% confidence interval, 1.012-2.797, 16+ years only). There was some evidence that the duration of residence was positively associated with preconception obesity, but only among women who had moved to the United States at age 18 years and older. CONCLUSION: In sum, while immigrants are less likely than US-born mothers to experience preconception obesity or excessive gestational weight gain, these outcomes vary among the former group by duration of US residence.

Ethnic discrimination and weight outcomes among Latinx emerging adults: Examinations of an individual-level mediator and cultural moderators.

OBJECTIVES: Latinxs have the highest prevalence of obesity in the United States, which can further contribute to the pervasive disparities in morbidity and mortality. Although the experience of discrimination is associated with obesity in racial/ethnic minorities, mediators and moderators of this association, specifically among Latinx emerging adults, have been understudied. The present study investigated an individual-level mediator (eating disorder symptoms) and cultural moderators (familismo support, ethnic identity affirmation) of the association between perceived discrimination and body mass index (BMI) among Latinx emerging adults. METHOD: Secondary analysis was conducted using cross-sectional data obtained from 198 Latinx emerging adults (70% female, Mage = 20.59, SDage = 1.78). RESULTS: Participants who reported greater, as opposed to fewer, experiences of ethnic discrimination were likely to report more eating disorder symptoms, which in turn was associated with increased BMI. There was no evidence supporting familismo support or ethnic identity affirmation as moderators, suggesting that even those with high levels of familismo or ethnic identity were susceptible to the negative consequences of the experience of ethnic discrimination. CONCLUSIONS: Addressing health-compromising eating behaviors and attitudes among Latinx emerging adults might be one effective means to addressing the negative consequences of discrimination on weight-related outcomes. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Pregnancy-Related Weight and Postpartum Depressive Symptoms: Do the Relationships Differ by Race/Ethnicity?

Background: There are significant racial/ethnic disparities in the prevalence of postpartum depression. Prior research in the general population suggests that weight status is related to depression and that this relationship varies by race/ethnicity. However, few studies have investigated whether race/ethnicity moderates the relationship between pregnancy-related weight and postpartum depressive symptoms (PPDS). The objective of this study is to examine the relationship between pregnancy-related weight and maternal PPDS overall and by race/ethnicity. Materials and Methods: This study used data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Birth Cohort (n ≈ 6950). Ordinary least-squares and logistic regression was used to examine whether pregnancy-related weight, including preconception weight status and gestational weight gain (GWG), was associated with PPDS measured using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression Scale (CES-D). Stratified analyses were used to assess whether these relationships varied by race/ethnicity. Results: Preconception obesity (body mass index [BMI] ≥30 kg/m2) was associated with higher levels of PPDS (ß = 0.601, 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.149-1.053). GWG adequacy was not associated with PPDS. Among non-Hispanic (NH) whites, preconception obesity was positively associated with PPDS (ß = 1.016, 95% CI, 0.448-1.584). In contrast, among Hispanics, preconception overweight (25 kg/m2 ≤ BMI <30 kg/m2) was associated with lower levels of PPDS (ß = -0.887, 95% CI, -1.580 to -0.195). There were no statistically significant relationships between pregnancy-related weight and PPDS among NH black or Asian women, but both groups were significantly more likely than NH whites to report PPDS. Conclusion: Whether and how pregnancy-related weight is associated with PPDS varies by race/ethnicity. Addressing preconception weight could help reduce overall levels of PPDS among NH whites but would likely fail to mitigate racial/ethnic disparities in postpartum mental health.