Our study found that among African-American women giving birth at two large hospitals, being unaccompanied by a family member or other support person at the time of delivery was associated with a more than three-fold increase in the odds of having a baby of VLBW. Women who ended up without this aspect of support at [...]

Three-hundred-twelve African-American women were interviewed. These included 104 cases, mothers of VLBW infants, and 208 controls, whose infants were of NBW. Approximately 5% of women approached as potential controls declined to participate. The refusal rate among potential cases was less than 2%.

METHODS
We carried out a case-control study from 1996 to 1999 at Cook County Hospital and the University of Chicago Hospital. The Institutional Review Boards at both sites approved the study. Cases were 104 African-American mothers of VLBW infants (less than 1,500 g) who were recruited from the admission logbooks of the newborn intensive-care units of [...]

INTRODUCTION
Preterm delivery remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States, with African Americans bearing a disproportionate share of this adverse outcome. In 1997, urban mothers of African-American infants, compared with mothers of non-Hispanic white infants were 145% more likely to experience the death of a baby before the infant’s first birthday. [...]