Does Love Trump Hate?: An Analysis of Preterm Birth Rates in Virginia Across the 2016 Election and Unite the Right Rally Público

Maini, Aneesha (Spring 2020)

Permanent URL: https://etd.library.emory.edu/concern/etds/z029p6071?locale=pt-BR
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Abstract

The 2016 United States Presidential election was what many would call one of the most controversial elections in recent years for a multitude of reasons, including the unconventional and inflammatory nature of Donald Trump’s campaign, particularly around issues of race and gender. The Trump presidency has continued to be associated with policies and groups who target vulnerable racial/ethnic populations; one watershed moment occurred with the Unite the Right Rally in Charlottesville, VA. Previous research has established a strong connection between race and likelihood of mothers delivering their newborn preterm (<37 weeks gestation). Simultaneously, there is a large body of previous research regarding the association between racism related stress and adverse health outcomes. However, there is a lack in research in regard to the potential impact of macro-level racism on preterm birth outcomes. Therefore, it is worth exploring the relationship between the time period of the 2016 election and the Unite the Right Rally and the outcome of preterm births across racial/ethnic groups. In this study, I examine the correlation between time period and changes in preterm birth rate across four racial/ethnic groups: non-Hispanic Whites, non-Hispanic Blacks, Hispanics, and Other. I simultaneously examine the outcomes of each racial/ethnic group across four time periods: during the campaign to nomination, from the nomination to inauguration, post-inauguration, and post-Unite the Right Rally. I first discuss the theoretical framework and present supporting empirical research about the potential relationship between macro-level racism and preterm birth outcomes. I utilized data from the CDC WONDER Natality Dataset to analyze preterm birth rates across the mentioned racial/ethnic groups and time periods within the state of Virginia between September 2015 and August 2017.  Results showed that there was a statistically significant increase in preterm birth rate for Hispanic mothers between the first and final time period, while there was a statistically significant decrease in preterm birth rate for non-Hispanic Black mothers between the third and fourth time periods. This study adds to previous literature by examining the pregnancy outcomes of mothers within the state of Virginia during a time period with macro-level racist events.

Table of Contents

I. Introduction ........................................................................................................................1

II. Research Questions ............................................................................................................3

III. Background………………………………………………………………………................................................4

Theoretical Background .................................................................................................................4

Historical Background………............................................................................................................6

Theoretical Models and Empirical Research Background...............................................................8

IV. Hypotheses ......................................................................................................................14

V. Methods ...........................................................................................................................15

Dataset……………............................................................................................................................16

Independent Variables..................................................................................................................17

Outcome……………..........................................................................................................................19

Data Analysis................................................................................................................................20

VI. Results .............................................................................................................................21

Preterm Birth Outcomes Across Time Periods…………………………...................................................21

Comparing Preterm Birth Outcomes Between Race/Ethnicity Group...........................................23

VII. Discussion .......................................................................................................................23

VIII. Tables and Figures .........................................................................................................29

Table 1…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….….……29

Table 2…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….….……29

Table 3…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….….……30

Table 4…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….….……30

Figure 1………………………………………….……………………………………………………………………………….….……31

Figure 2………………………………………….……………………………………………………………………………….….……32

IX. References........................................................................................................................33

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