Open AccessCounty-level Variation in Low Birthweight and Preterm Birth
Author(s) -
Carrie M. Brown,
Jennifer E. Moore,
Holly C. Felix,
M. Kathryn Stewart,
J. Mick Tilford
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
medical care
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.632
H-Index - 178
eISSN - 1537-1948
pISSN - 0025-7079
DOI - 10.1097/mlr.0000000000001313
Subject(s) - medicaid , demography , medicine , geographic variation , low birth weight , ethnic group , percentile , health equity , socioeconomic status , public health , environmental health , population , health care , pregnancy , statistics , political science , mathematics , nursing , sociology , biology , genetics , law
Rates of low birthweight and prematurity vary 2-fold across states in the United States, with increased rates among states with higher concentrations of racial minorities. Medicaid expansion may serve as a mechanism to reduce geographic variation within states that expanded, by improving health and access to care for vulnerable populations.