Racial differences in the prevalence of small-for-dates infants among college-educated women.

We used Illinois vital records and U.S. Census data to quantify the association of race and small-for-dates rates among women with 16 or more years of education. The small-for-dates rate for African-Americans was 2.8%, compared with 1.2% for whites [odds ratio (OR) = 2.5; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.8-3.4]. Adjustment for measures of socioeconomic status did not reduce the racial disparity (OR = 2.9; 95% CI = 1.4-4.5). We conclude that unidentified variables occurring with greater prevalence among African-Americans increase the risk of small-for-dates infants among college-educated African-American mothers.