Births of Hispanic origin, 1989-95.

OBJECTIVES This report presents trend data on births in the United States to women of Hispanic and non-Hispanic origin, from 1989 to 1995, for a wide variety of characteristics. Hispanic women data are presented where possible separately for Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Central and South American, and other Hispanic women while for non-Hispanic women data are shown for white and black women. Maternal demographic characteristics include age, marital status, live-birth order, educational attainment, and mother's place of birth. Health care utilization items include timing of prenatal care, cesarean delivery rate, place of birth and midwife attendance. Infant health characteristics include percents born preterm, low birthweight, very low birthweight, and percent born in multiple births. Trend data for the number of births by State are also presented. METHODS Descriptive tabulations of births of Hispanic origin of the mother for births that occurred from 1989 through 1995 are presented. RESULTS The number of births born to Hispanic women has risen every year from 1989 to 1995. In addition in 1989 Hispanic women had 14 percent of births in the United States and in 1995 they represented 18 percent. While Hispanic women as a group continue to have higher fertility rates than non-Hispanics, Mexican women in particular have dramatically higher rates. While increases in early prenatal care were observed for all women in the United States, increases were particularly substantial for Hispanic women. The cesarean section rate has been dropping in the United States; yet while rates for Cuban women have also been dropping, the rates are nearly 50 percent higher than those for any other population subgroup.