Targeting Low Birthweight Interventions in Jamaica
To prevent infant mortality, many countries target programs for mothers who are likely to have low birthweight infants. Programs targeting high risk women have been associated with lower infant mortality and higher birthweights. In many countries, programs typically use clinical criteria risk factors such as maternal age and parity for targeting. It is not clear, however, if clinical risk factors are important risks or if they are just markers of socioeconomic determinants such as poverty or education. Using a population based survey, we show that both clinical and socioeconomic factors are important predictors of low birthweight in Jamaica. Our results suggest that women who are nulliparous, age 35 or older, poor, or living in certain areas should be targeted for clinical interventions to prevent low birthweight. In terms of the quality of care, this study links clinical and socioeconomic risk factors to poor outcomes. Further studies are needed to link the structure and process of care to these outcomes.
This report is part of the RAND Corporation Draft series. The unrestricted draft was a product of the RAND Corporation from 1993 to 2003 that represented preliminary or prepublication versions of other more formal RAND products for distribution to appropriate external audiences. The draft could be considered similar to an academic discussion paper. Although unrestricted drafts had been approved for circulation, they were not usually formally edited or peer reviewed.
This document and trademark(s) contained herein are protected by law. This representation of RAND intellectual property is provided for noncommercial use only. Unauthorized posting of this publication online is prohibited; linking directly to this product page is encouraged. Permission is required from RAND to reproduce, or reuse in another form, any of its research documents for commercial purposes. For information on reprint and reuse permissions, please visit www.rand.org/pubs/permissions.
The RAND Corporation is a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decisionmaking through research and analysis. RAND's publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors.