Factors Related to Low Birth Weight in Teenage Mothers

National data indicates that 8.0% of all infants are born with weigh below 2,500 grams. Teenage mothers are at an increased risk of delivering LBW or preterm infants (Chen et al., 2007). LBW is linked to higher mortality rates (Mathews & MacDorman, 2013), greater health care needs (Kowlessar, Jiang, & Steiner, 2013), and higher rates of chronic conditions (Boulet & Schieve, 2011). We analyzed factors related to LBW incorporating the individual (e.g., smoking, drinking, maternal age) and environmental level factors (e.g., lead poisoning, sexually transmitted diseases, crime data) using county birth certificates data for teenage mothers from 2007 to 2013 (n = 966, Mage =18.1), analyzed in a multilevel model based on Census Block Group (CBG) areas. The effect of the environment was not significant in the overall model. In the final model, the odds of having a LBW infant were significantly higher for teenage mothers who received fewer months of prenatal care; 2.26 [CI(.95)1.32, 3.86], indicating teens with less prenatal care were 126% more likely to have a LBW infant. No other individual or environmental factors were significant in the overall model. County level intervention to reduce the LBW should focus on access to prenatal care for pregnant teens

Liberals’ and Conservatives’ Perceptions of Warmth-Competence and Threat for Immigrant Groups

The stereotype-content model of prejudice posits that outgroups are perceived in terms of warmth and competence (Cuddy, Fiske, & Glick, 2008). The integrated model of racism (Dovidio & Gaertner, 1998) suggests that liberals tend to overcompensate for their prejudicial attitudes by favoring outgroups, whereas conservatives tend to justify their prejudicial attitudes. We hypothesized that liberals and conservatives would perceive outgroups differently in terms of warmth-competence. 87 white students rated how characteristic 26 traits were of Arab, Chinese, and Mexican immigrants, Bosnian refugees, and African Americans. Liberals rated Arab (t(53)= 2.09, p= .04, CI(.95)[.01527, .71763]) and Mexican immigrants (t(63)= 2.47, p= .02, CI(.95)[.07287, .68989]) as warmer than did conservatives, but conservatives rated Bosnian refugees (t(63)= -2.02, p= .05, CI(.95)[-.65387, -.00341]) and Mexican immigrants (t(63)= -2.425, p= .02, CI(.95)[-.72841, -.07029]) higher on competence than did liberals. All five target groups were rated as more warm than competent by all participants. Chinese immigrants were rated least competent and African Americans were rated least warm by all participants. Consistent with the integrated model of prejudice, liberals rated target racial groups as warmer, indicating explicitly positive feelings toward those groups, but also as less competent, which may suggest more implicit prejudice toward those groups