Role of parental nativity among black children in the United States

The disproportionately high rates of adverse health outcomes among Black children represent an important issue in the United States. Black children are more likely to die within the first year of life. Moreover, previous research has shown substantial racial and socioeconomic disparities in US breastfeeding rates. However, the role of immigrant status within the Black community in understanding such disparities has not been well studied. In this study we analyzed the extent to which parental nativity affect socioeconomic status and breastfeeding among Black children in the United States. The study utilized extant data from National Survey of Children's Health, 2007 (NSCH). A Chi-square analysis was employed to assess socio-economic status and breastfeeding measures among Black children aged 0 to 5 years (children of native parents and children of foreign-born parents). More than 82% of children with foreign-born parents were reported ever breastfeeding (p<.05) at 6 months, while 52% of children of native parents were reported to ever breastfed (p<.000). Among children of native parents, only 7 % were reported to be breastfed for 6 month (p<.000). Children of foreign- born parents were more likely to be classified as ‘Not poor'(64.7%) (p<.000) than children of native parents (49.4%) (p<.000). The results of this study highlight the importance of understanding the heterogeneity of Black children. Understanding how parental nativity (foreign-born versus native) affects socioeconomic status and health behaviors such as breastfeeding remains a topic for further research.