Family relationships and prenatal health among non-native Mexican American women

Research has shown there is an association between acculturation and birth outcomes. Women who are more acculturated in the United States have worse birth outcomes than those who are less acculturated. The purpose of this current study was to, first, examine the association between acculturation variables and prenatal care and health behaviors. And second, to examine the moderation effects of family relationships and relationships with focal children’s fathers on the relationships between acculturation and prenatal care and health behaviors. Data from the Baseline surveys of the Fragile Families and Child Well-Being Study were used. Binary logistic regressions were run to determine the relationships between those variables. Results indicated there was no significant relationship between the acculturation variables and prenatal care; however, increased religious attendance and Spanish as the preferred language were significantly associated with decreased odds that women would engage in risky health behaviors. Binary logistic regressions indicated that neither family support nor relationships with focal children’s fathers significantly moderated the association between the main effects. Additional binary logistic regressions were run to determine if the moderators were significantly associated with prenatal care and/or risky health behaviors. Results show relationships with focal children’s fathers decreased the odds that women would partake in risky health behaviors during pregnancy.