Segregation, Race, and Infant Well-Being

Residential segregation is a pervasive feature of the urban landscape in the United States, yet few studies have considered how segregation (including all of its conceptual dimensions) influences infant well-being. Here, a comprehensive picture of segregation (including all five dimensions and a composite measure) and infant well-being for whites, blacks, and Hispanics is presented. This study utilizes data from U.S. metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) in 2000 to address these issues. Descriptive results show stark racial differences with blacks fairing worse than whites and Hispanics. Using race-specific generalized linear models, this study finds that the relationship between segregation and infant well-being is largely race-and outcome-specific. Segregation was found to have both negative and positive relationships with infant well-being. The size, direction, and significance of these associations were dependent upon race, measure of infant well-being, and dimension of segregation under consideration. For instance, dissimilarity shared a positive relationship with infant mortality for whites, isolation shared a positive relationship with infant mortality among blacks, and both isolation and concentration shared a negative relationship with infant mortality among Hispanics. Also, the composite measure of all segregation measures positively predicted low birth weight for blacks and Hispanics, as well as infant mortality among blacks. This study highlights the importance of treating segregation as a multi-dimensional concept and viewing it as a potential source of racial disparities in infant well-being.