A new report by the
National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) provides first-time
information on pregnancy and birth characteristics among Vietnamese, Asian
Indian, Korean, Samoan, and Guamanian women in the U.S. The study covers
seven States (California, Hawaii, Illinois, New Jersey, New York, Texas,
and Washington), which account for 72 percent of all Asian or Pacific
Islander births in 1992.
Data highlights
Less
than 2 percent of Asian Indian and Korean births were to teenagers,
compared with 12 percent of all races.
Only 8 percent of Asian
Indian births and less than 5 percent of Korean births were to unmarried
women compared with 30 percent of all races.
Most Vietnamese, Asian
Indian, and Korean mothers who gave birth in 1992 were born outside the
United States. These mothers tended to be older and were more likely to be
married than U.S.-born mothers.
The percent of cesarean
deliveries was lower for Vietnamese and Samoan mothers (just under 17
percent each) than for most other Asian or Pacific Islanders, compared
with 23 percent for all races.
Among Asian or Pacific
Islanders, Korean and Samoan mothers had the lowest percent of low
birthweight babies (4.2 and 4.5 percent), while Asian Indian mothers had
the highest (9.6 percent). For all races, the proportion was 6.7 percent.
More than three out of
four Asian Indian, Korean, and Vietnamese mothers received prenatal care
in the first trimester of pregnancy compared with two out of three
Guamanian mothers and less than one-half of all Samoan others.
For more
information, please contact NCHS, Office of Public Affairs (301) 458-4800,
or via e-mail at paoquery@cdc.gov.