HISPANIC FERTILITY IN U.S. FOUND ABOVE NORM (Published 1984) (2024)

Fertility among Hispanic women in the United States is nearly 50 percent greater than among other Americans, and females of Mexican descent have the highest fertility rate, a Government study reported today.

''The fertility rate for women of Hispanic origin was 97.5 live births per 1,000 women aged 15-44 years, 50 percent higher than the rate for non-Hispanic women,'' the National Center for Health Statistics reported.

Women of Mexican origin had a fertility rate of 112.3 for 1,000, according to Government figures for births in 1981, the latest statistics available.

''Teen-age childbearing is relatively much more frequent among Mexican and Puerto Rican women than among white non-Hispanic women,'' the study said. It was estimated that 19 percent of Mexican mothers and 23 percent of Puerto Rican mothers were under 20 years old age, compared with 12 percent of non-Hispanic whites. Blacks had a higher rate, 26 percent, at that age.

''Associated with the high levels of childbearing by young mothers is the tendency toward larger families,'' said the report, written by Stephanie J. Ventura.

Over all, the second highest fertility rate among Hispanic women was 83 live births per 1,000 women aged 15-44 in a category covering women of Central American and South American origin.

Puerto Rican women were next with a rate of 73.5, and Cuban women had a rate of only 47.2, trailing even the non- Hispanic women, who had a rate of 65.

''Nearly one-fourth of all Hispanic- origin births in 1981 were to unmarried mothers,'' the study said. By origins, the proportions were Mexicans, 21 percent; Puerto Ricans, 48 percent; Cubans, 14 percent; non-Hispanic whites, 10 percent; black, 57 percent.

Miss Ventura said in her report that mothers of Hispanic origin were less likely to have completed high school than non-Hispanic women. It was estimated that 51 percent of Hispanic mothers had completed high school, compared with 83 percent of non-Hispanic whites and 64 percent of black mothers.

The report found that Hispanic mothers other than Cubans were less likely than non-Hispanic women to begin prenatal care in the first trimester of pregnancy. Early prenatal care was begun by 61 percent of Hispanic mothers, compared with 62 percent of blacks and 82 percent of whites.

Nonetheless, the percentage of babies with low birth weight born to Hispanic women was comparable to the level reported by white non-Hispanic women, the study said. It said 5.6 percent of Mexican babies and 5.8 percent of Cuban babies weighed less than five and a half pounds at birth, compared with 5.7 percent of white non-Hispanic births. The greatest risk of low birth weight was among Puerto Rican mothers, at 9 percent, and black non- Hispanic mothers, 12.7 percent. 95% of Hispanic Births in Study

The study was based on data collected from birth certificates in 22 states, accounting for 95 percent of United States Hispanic births. Hispanic people can be of any race but in this report were enumerated separately from black and white non-Hispanic women.

United States Hispanic births totaled 321,954 in 1981, including 222,143 to mothers of Mexican descent, 33,376 to Puerto Rican mothers, 8,369 to Cubans, 24,380 to mothers of Central and South American descent, and 33,686 to other women of Hispanic origin.