Correspondence between interracial births and multiple race reporting in the

National Health Interview SurveyJennifer D. Parker

Academy Health Annual Research MeetingJune 10, 2008

Centers for Disease Control and PreventionNational Center for Health Statistics

Background

• In 1997 OMB guidelines for race and ethnicity included requirement for multiple race data collection and reporting within federal agencies

• The National Health Interview Survey has allowed more than one race response since 1976; multiple race data included on in-house data files since 1997

• Interracial births increasing

• ? What is the relationship between interracial births and multiple race reporting?

Objective

• To examine the correspondence between multiple race reporting and interracial births in national data systems

– How do trends in interracial births and multiple race reporting compare?

– How many multiple race respondents in a survey would we expect given the number of interracial births?

– Does this expectation differ by race combination?

– How do interracial parents identify child’s race?

Data sources

• Natality data 1968 – 2004

• National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) 1997-2006

– All survey participants born in the U.S. from 1968 through 2004

– Children of interracial and multiple race parents NHIS 2002-2006• Two biological parents in household

Percent multiple race reporting by NHIS survey year

0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1

1.2

1.4

1.6

1.8

2

1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006

Survey year

Per

cen

t

Source: NHIS 1997-2006

Multiple race

Percent multiple race reporting by NHIS survey year

0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1

1.2

1.4

1.6

1.8

2

1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006

Survey year

Per

cen

t

Source: NHIS 1997-2006

Multiple race

AIAN/white

black/white

API/white

AIAN=American Indian/Alaska Native; API=Asian or Pacific Islander

Percent multiple race reporting by NHIS survey year, all respondents and those born 1968-2004

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006

Survey year

Per

cen

t

Source: NHIS 1997-2006

All respondents

Born 1968-2004

Percent interracial births and multiple race reporting by year of birth

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

4

4.5

5

68-70 71-73 74-76 77-79 80-82 83-85 86-88 89-91 92-94 95-97 98-00 01-04

Year of birth

Per

cen

t

Source: Natality Files 1968-2004 and NHIS 1997-2006

Multiple race

Interracial births

Percent black/white interracial births and multiple race reporting by year of birth

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

68-70 71-73 74-76 77-79 80-82 83-85 86-88 89-91 92-94 95-97 98-00 01-04

Year of birth

Per

cen

t

Source: Natality Files 1968-2004 and NHIS 1997-2006

Interracial births

Multiple race

Percent AIAN/white interracial births and multiple race reporting by year of birth

0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

0.7

68-70 71-73 74-76 77-79 80-82 83-85 86-88 89-91 92-94 95-97 98-00 01-04

Year of birth

Per

cen

t

Source: Natality Files 1968-2004 and NHIS 1997-2006

Interracial births

Multiple race

AIAN=American Indian/Alaska Native

Percent API/white interracial births and multiple race reporting by year of birth

0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1

1.2

1.4

1.6

1.8

68-70 71-73 74-76 77-79 80-82 83-85 86-88 89-91 92-94 95-97 98-00 01-04

Year of birth

Per

cen

t

Source: Natality Files 1968-2004 and NHIS 1997-2006

Interracial births

Multiple race

API=Asian or Pacific Islander

Expected and observed percent multiple race reporting in the NHIS for respondents born 1968 through 2004

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006

Survey year

Per

cen

t

Source: Natality Files 1968-2004 and NHIS 1997-2006

Expected

Observed

Expected and observed percent black-white multiple race reporting in the NHIS for respondents born 1968 through 2004

0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1

1.2

1.4

1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006

Source: Natality Files 1968-2004 and NHIS 1997-2006

Expected

Observed

Expected and observed percent AIAN-white multiple race reporting in the NHIS for respondents born 1968 through 2004

0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

0.7

0.8

1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006

Survey year

Per

cen

t

Source: Natality Files 1968-2004 and NHIS 1997-2006

Expected

Observed

AIAN=American Indian/Alaska Native

Expected and observed percent API/white multiple race reporting in the NHIS for respondents born 1968 through 2004

0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

0.7

0.8

0.9

1

1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006

Survey year

Per

cen

t

Source: Natality Files 1968-2004 and NHIS 1997-2006

Expected

Observed

API=Asian or Pacific Islander

Child’s reported race, by parent’s race children with one white and one black parent

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

White mother/Black father (81.8%) Black mother/White father (18.2%)

Parent's reported race

Per

cen

t

whiteblack

white

black

white/black

white/black

Source: NHIS 2002-2006

Child’s reported race, by parent’s race children with one white and one AIAN parent

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

White mother/AIAN father (39.2%) AIAN mother/White father (60.8%)

Parent's reported race

Per

cen

t

white

AIAN

AIAN/white whiteAIAN AIAN/white

Source: NHIS 2002-2006

Child’s reported race, by parent’s race children with one white and one API parent

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

White mother/API father (35%) API mother/White father (65%)

Parent's reported race

Per

cen

t

white

API

API/white

whiteAPI

API/white

Source: NHIS 2002-2006

Child’s reported race, by parent’s race children with one or two multiple race parents

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

White-black parent(n=188)

White-AIAN parent(n=500)

White-API parent (n=170)

Multiple race parent's reported race

Per

cen

t

white

white

white

blk

black/white

AIAN

AIAN/wht

API

API/wht

Source: NHIS 2002-2006

There are several issues that make the preceding comparisons “ballpark”• Data collection for race changed between 1968-2004

• Hispanic populations have increased; race reporting by Hispanics may complicate these comparisons

• Procedures for missing race and Other race differed between data sources and over time

• Missing father’s race on vital statistics increased over time and underestimates interracial births

• Combining 1997-2006 NHIS for birth-year analysis ignores reporting trends

• No variances were estimated for the percentages; no statistical tests were done

Conclusions

• Interracial births do not correspond to multiple race reporting in the NHIS and comparisons differ among race groups– Black/white and API/white report > 1 race less often

than expected by birth records – Comparisons for AIAN/white vary by age

• Interracial parents do not consistently report one race, the other, or both for their children

Acknowledgement

• Catherine Duran provided invaluable programming assistance