Survey ranks
Honolulu moms high in
education, health

By Susan Kreifels
Star-Bulletin

More of Honolulu's mothers were married, older, had higher educations and smoked less compared to those in America's largest cities, and its newborns were generally healthier, a mainland study showed.

Mainland and local officials speculated the results were due to better contraception education and use, more access to contraception, better health and insurance programs, and a higher Asian-American population.

The Baltimore-based The Annie E. Casey Foundation looked at more than 750,000 babies in the nation's top 50 cities in 1997. The study found that urban newborns were more likely to be born to unmarried women with less than 12 years of education and to women who get late or no prenatal care -- risk factors that can have lifelong health implications.

The KIDS COUNTS Special Report, which was based on birth certificates, showed only 24.5 percent of babies in Honolulu were born to unwed mothers -- close to half the large-city average of 43 percent and lower than a national average of 32.4 percent. Detroit showed the highest average at 71.6 percent.

Only 9.5 percent of Honolulu mothers had less than 12 years of education compared to an average 27.7 percent in large cities and 22.1 percent nationwide. The highest rate was 47.1 percent in Los Angeles.

In Honolulu, 7 percent of mothers were under 20, second next to Seattle's 6.3 percent. That compared to 14.9 percent in cities and 12.7 percent nationwide.

Regarding health of the babies, 69.8 percent of Honolulu's newborns showed none of four risk factors that included low birth weight, lack of prenatal care, or other problems with basic health functions like respiration. That was second highest next to Charlotte, N.C., with 70.2 percent. The city average was 61.6 percent and nation 66.8 percent. In mothers who smoked during pregnancy, Honolulu ranked 8th lowest with 4.6 percent. Regarding mothers with late or no prenatal care, Honolulu ranked 22nd.

Karen Mak, the state Department of Health's supervisor for the Family Planning Service Section, said DOH's partnerships with community health centers, local family planning programs, contraception education and access to contraceptives, as well as good insurance programs for young mothers probably had an impact on the study's results.

Bill O"Hare, the study's coordinator, speculated that a higher Asian-American population may have made a difference. Asian-Americans are more likely to be married, smoke less and have relatively healthy births, he said.