Many studies have shown relationships between race/ethnicity and some birth defects. For example, white teenagers have higher rates of gastroschisis than African-American teenagers 1 , and transposition of great arteries is more prevalent in white than non-white children 2 .The Louisiana Birth Defects Monitoring Network (LBDMN) is a population-based surveillance system created in 2005. LBDMN actively collects information from multiple sources to track babies born with birth defects up to three years old in the state. Racial disparity in birth defects has never been evaluated using birth defects surveillance data in Louisiana. Findings from this study are expected to help LBDMN and Louisiana Children and Youth with Special Health Needs Program better understand variations in the prevalence of some birth defects among certain racial/ethnic groups in the state.
Objective
This study aimed to evaluate relationships between race/ethnicity and selected major birth defects using 2006-2008 Louisiana birth defects surveillance data.