Birth Outcomes of Immigrant and Native-Born Hispanic Women: Role of Prenatal Care Utilization and Participation in the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Program

In recent years there has been a significant increase in the immigrant Hispanic population in Prince George’s County, Maryland.  The majority of these immigrants identify as Salvadoran and little is known about this population within the county.  There is also a lack of county information on how birth outcomes are related to immigrant/native-born status and utilization of prenatal care, including receipt of adequate prenatal care and participation in the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program.  Many previous studies have found that immigrant Hispanic women have better birth outcomes than their native-born counterparts, but it is not known whether this pattern occurs in the Salvadoran population in Prince George’s County.  Using data from 2011-2012 county birth certificates of 5,720 women of Hispanic heritage we examined how immigrant/native-born status is related to two infant birth outcomes, preterm birth and infant low birth weight, as well as women’s utilization of adequate prenatal care and participation in WIC. We found prenatal care utilization and WIC participation to somewhat mediate the relationship between women’s immigration status and the two infant birth outcomes.  This study has aided in better understanding factors that may contribute to positive birth outcomes among Hispanic women, particularly within the Salvadoran community.  Moreover, findings may assist in designing interventions to reduce infant morbidity and mortality in both Maryland and U.S. Hispanic populations as well as influence policies on improving the health among the large proportion of Salvadoran immigrants within Prince George’s County.