Health Disparities
Assessing Maternal and Infant Health in Latino Populations Through Secondary Data Analysis Sueny Paloma Lima do Santos* Sueny Paloma Lima Ilana Chertok
Maternal-infant health is a critical global concern, particularly among the Latino populations. Our study seeks to explore complex health concerns by synthesizing data from multiple population-data sources. We used data from the Guatemalan Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) to investigate the relationship between the quality of antenatal care and pre-pregnancy folic acid intake. Using the Pregnancy Risk Assessment and Monitoring System (PRAMS), we assessed the role of pre-pregnancy BMI on the relationship between pre-pregnancy folic acid intake and breastfeeding duration among Hispanic mothers in the US. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), we assessed the mediating role of diet quality in the relationship between food insecurity and obesity among Hispanic children and adolescents. In Guatemala (N=9,523), 84.6% took pre-pregnancy folic acid, and 11.9% had adequate antenatal care. Mothers with no antenatal care (AOR=0.04, 95% CI 0.02-0.06) and those with intermediate quality antenatal care (AOR=0.58, 95% CI 0.44-0.77) had lower odds of folic acid intake compared to those who received adequate antenatal care. Among Hispanic mothers in the US (N=27,671), stratifying by pre-pregnancy BMI, among mothers with normal weight and obesity, compared to folic acid intake 4-6 times per week, there was a lower likelihood of breastfeeding when mothers did not take folic acid (AOR=0.702, 95% CI 0.503-0.978 and AOR=0.641, 95% CI 0.425-0.967, respectively). In NHANES (N=7,190), the indirect effect was found to be 0.0098, indicating partial mediation by diet quality. Food insecurity’s direct effect on obesity was 0.0543. The total effect, which accounts for direct and indirect effects, was 0.0641, suggesting a combined influence of food insecurity and diet quality on obesity among this population. Understanding the complex interplay between prenatal and postpartum behaviors among Latino mothers is crucial for promoting health equity.