Other Titles
Rising Star Poster/Presentation - Rapid Presentation Round
Abstract
Background: The “Hispanic/Latina Paradox" is a phenomenon where Latina women and their infants have perinatal and birth outcomes similar to those of White women. This is often seen as a protective mechanism that helps reduce maternal health inequities. However, this paradox overlooks the fact that there are different subgroups of Latina women, including Afro-Latinas, who are often neglected when addressing racial disparities related to perinatal birth outcomes in the US. The intersectionality of multiple minority identities may put Afro-Latinas at a disadvantage in terms of perinatal health outcomes.
Objective: Determine differences in maternal morbidity, including pregnancy-related hypertension and diabetes, and infant birth outcomes, such as birth weight and preterm birth, among Afro-Latina mothers’ infants compared to other racial/ethnic groups (e.g., White Latinas, Non-Latina White, and Non-Latina Black women and infants) in Florida.
Methods: This ongoing secondary analysis will use data from the Florida Vital Statistics (2004-2022) to examine maternal morbidities (pregnancy-related hypertension, pregnancy-related diabetes) and infant birth complications (birth weight, preterm birth) of Afro-Latina mothers and their infants (n=176,040) compared to childbearing women of other racial/ethnic identifies (n=3,805,588). Pearson Chi-square test to assess differences among groups with p< .05 is considered statistically significant. Next, unadjusted and adjusted relative risks (RRs) will be calculated with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for maternal morbidity and infant birth outcomes. Adjusted models will include all maternal characteristics of interest (e.g., maternal education, age, marital status, plurality, prenatal care, principal payment source for delivery, and smoking).
Conclusion: We hypothesize that Afro-Latinas will have higher odds of pregnancy-related hypertension and pregnancy-related diabetes than White Latinas and Non-Latina White women. Infants born to Afro-Latinas will have higher odds of having low birth weight and being preterm than infants born to White Latinas and Non-Latina White mothers.
Implications: This study aims to enhance scientific understanding of perinatal health outcomes among Latinas by recognizing and including Afro-Latinas. In the past, Latina health has mainly been assessed in terms of Latina vs. Non-Latina, which has resulted in an incomplete understanding of health disparities within the heterogeneous Latina community. If the data support our hypotheses, this study will contribute to the ongoing efforts toward achieving health equity in maternal and child health in this population.
Notes
Presenter notes available in attached slide deck.
References: Montoya-Williams D, Williamson VG, Cardel M, Fuentes-Afflick E, Maldonado-Molina M, Thompson L. The Hispanic/Latinx Perinatal Paradox in the United States: A Scoping Review and Recommendations to Guide Future Research. J Immigr Minor Health. 2021;23(5):1078-1091. doi:10.1007/s10903-020-01117-z
Gonzalez-Barrera A. About 6 million U.S Adults Identify As Afro-Latinos. Pew Research Center.2022:1-10.
Cuevas AG, Dawson BA, Williams DR. Race and Skin Color in Latino Health: An Analytic Review. Am J Public Health. 2016;106(12):2131-2136. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2016.303452
Galan J, Mydam J, Collins JW. Infant Mortality Rates Among US-Born and Foreign-Born Latinx Women: The Effect of Black Race. Matern Child Health J. 2022;26(3):511-516. doi:10.1007/s10995-021-03366-2
Borrell LN. Racial Identity Among Hispanics: Implications for Health and Well-Being. Am J Public Health.2005;95(3):379-381. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2004.058172
Collins PH. Piecing Together a Genealogical Puzzle: Intersectionality and American Pragmatism. Eur J Pragmatism Am Philos. 2011;III(2). doi:10.4000/ejpap.823
Sigma Membership
Beta Tau
Type
Presentation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Other
Research Approach
Other
Keywords:
Pregnancy Outcomes, African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Maternal-Child Care, Ethnic Groups, Maternal-Child Health
Recommended Citation
Parra, Alexa; Lebron, Cynthia; Larson, Michaela; Pan, Yue; Potter, JoNell; and Santos, Hudson, "Exploring the Impact of Intersectional Identity on Maternal Morbidity/Birth Outcomes among Afro-Latinas in Florida" (2026). Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE). 43.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/chwe/2024/presentations_2024/43
Conference Name
Creating Healthy Work Environments
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Washington, DC, USA
Conference Year
2024
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record. All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository. All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Date of Issue
2026-02-17
Exploring the Impact of Intersectional Identity on Maternal Morbidity/Birth Outcomes among Afro-Latinas in Florida
Washington, DC, USA
Background: The “Hispanic/Latina Paradox" is a phenomenon where Latina women and their infants have perinatal and birth outcomes similar to those of White women. This is often seen as a protective mechanism that helps reduce maternal health inequities. However, this paradox overlooks the fact that there are different subgroups of Latina women, including Afro-Latinas, who are often neglected when addressing racial disparities related to perinatal birth outcomes in the US. The intersectionality of multiple minority identities may put Afro-Latinas at a disadvantage in terms of perinatal health outcomes.
Objective: Determine differences in maternal morbidity, including pregnancy-related hypertension and diabetes, and infant birth outcomes, such as birth weight and preterm birth, among Afro-Latina mothers’ infants compared to other racial/ethnic groups (e.g., White Latinas, Non-Latina White, and Non-Latina Black women and infants) in Florida.
Methods: This ongoing secondary analysis will use data from the Florida Vital Statistics (2004-2022) to examine maternal morbidities (pregnancy-related hypertension, pregnancy-related diabetes) and infant birth complications (birth weight, preterm birth) of Afro-Latina mothers and their infants (n=176,040) compared to childbearing women of other racial/ethnic identifies (n=3,805,588). Pearson Chi-square test to assess differences among groups with p< .05 is considered statistically significant. Next, unadjusted and adjusted relative risks (RRs) will be calculated with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for maternal morbidity and infant birth outcomes. Adjusted models will include all maternal characteristics of interest (e.g., maternal education, age, marital status, plurality, prenatal care, principal payment source for delivery, and smoking).
Conclusion: We hypothesize that Afro-Latinas will have higher odds of pregnancy-related hypertension and pregnancy-related diabetes than White Latinas and Non-Latina White women. Infants born to Afro-Latinas will have higher odds of having low birth weight and being preterm than infants born to White Latinas and Non-Latina White mothers.
Implications: This study aims to enhance scientific understanding of perinatal health outcomes among Latinas by recognizing and including Afro-Latinas. In the past, Latina health has mainly been assessed in terms of Latina vs. Non-Latina, which has resulted in an incomplete understanding of health disparities within the heterogeneous Latina community. If the data support our hypotheses, this study will contribute to the ongoing efforts toward achieving health equity in maternal and child health in this population.
Description
The intersectionality of multiple minority identities may put Afro-Latinas at a disadvantage in terms of perinatal health outcomes. We aim to determine differences in maternal morbidity and infant birth outcomes among Afro-Latina mothers-infants compared to other racial/ethnic groups in Florida.