Sociodemographic Deprivation Domains and Preterm Birth

Lynne Messer, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Lisa Vinikoor, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Jay S. Kaufman, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Barbara A. Laraia, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Area-level deprivation is consistently associated with poor health outcomes. Using US census data (2000) and principal components analysis, a priori defined socio-demographic indices of poverty, housing, residential stability, occupation, employment and education were created for use in race-stratified multilevel logistic regression models of preterm birth in Wake County, NC. In age and education adjusted models, living in tracts with high poverty, poor housing and high unemployment was associated with increased PTB odds for non-Hispanic (NH) black women, but preterm birth odds for white NH women appeared unaffected by these tract characteristics. Living in tracts with more professional / managerial occupations appeared protective against preterm birth for both white and black women. Residential stability was unassociated with preterm birth in these analyses. Different deprivation domains are associated with PTB odds for NH white and black women. This finding is relevant for disparity reduction, PTB programming and policy development in this country.