Social and Economic Determinants of Infant Ill Health in 159 Georgia Counties: A Comparison Study

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2009

Publication Title

Journal of the Georgia Public Health Association

Abstract

Prematurity and low birth weight (LBW) are important causes of infant morbidity in Georgia and the United States. Georgia county-level data were used to explore the relationships between prematurity and LBW and two social and economic determinants of health: race and poverty status. Spearman rank correlations and Friedman and Wilcoxon signed rank tests were used. Prematurity and LBW were positively associated with poverty status and the presence of large African American populations. While causation cannot be inferred from correlative data, this analysis highlights the need to consider the role of social and economic factors in infant morbidity. It also highlights the need to target interventions and services to geographic areas most in need.

Comments

Journal Copyright statement: In accordance with the Budapest Open Access Initiative (BOAI) definition of open access, Journal of the Georgia Public Health Association is an open access journal. All content is freely available without charge to the user or his/her institution. Users are allowed to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of the articles, or use them for any other lawful purpose, without asking prior permission from the publisher or the author. Authors retain control over the integrity of their work and the right to be properly acknowledged and cited. The jGPHA Open Access Policy was adopted by the jGPHA Editorial Board on May 2, 2016.

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