Document Detail


The business of preventing African-American infant mortality.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  1413783     Owner:  NLM     Status:  MEDLINE    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
African-American women are twice as likely as women from other ethnic groups to have babies with low birth weights and to experience the loss of infant death. The problem is so endemic in black communities in Alameda County, California, that numerous programs have been developed over the past decade to reduce maternal risk factors and eliminate barriers to prenatal care. Despite these efforts, African-American ethnicity continues to be a major risk factor for infant mortality for reasons that are poorly understood. We take a critical look at 3 types of studies characteristic of infant mortality research: epidemiologic, studies that advocate prenatal care, and ethnomedical (cultural). We argue that the assumptions informing this research restrict the thinking about infant mortality and the political issues involved in how prevention programs are developed and structured. The persistent focus on maternal behavioral characteristics limits more in-depth analysis of the micropolitics of perinatal bureaucracies established in response to this ongoing crisis.
Authors:
J Gates-Williams; M N Jackson; V Jenkins-Monroe; L R Williams
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Publication Detail:
Type:  Journal Article; Meta-Analysis    
Journal Detail:
Title:  The Western journal of medicine     Volume:  157     ISSN:  0093-0415     ISO Abbreviation:  West. J. Med.     Publication Date:  1992 Sep 
Date Detail:
Created Date:  1992-11-17     Completed Date:  1992-11-17     Revised Date:  2010-09-07    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  0410504     Medline TA:  West J Med     Country:  UNITED STATES    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  350-6     Citation Subset:  AIM; IM    
Affiliation:
Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco.
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MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
African Americans*
Attitude to Health
California
Cross-Cultural Comparison*
Cultural Characteristics
Female
Humans
Infant Mortality*
Infant, Low Birth Weight
Infant, Newborn
Prenatal Care
Risk Factors
Comments/Corrections

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine


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