Birth Mothers' Educational Attainment: High School Degree or Higher
Summary Indicator Report Data View Options
The Percentage of Live Births to Women Who Had Completed a High School Degree or Higher by County, New Mexico, 2015-2017
The Percentage of Live Births to Women Who Had Completed a High School Degree or Higher by Small Area, New Mexico, 2012-2016
Why Is This Important?
A mother's education level affects decisions directly influencing her and her children's health. Worldwide, higher maternal education is linked to decreases in low birth weight, infant mortality, and maternal mortality. Level of education is related to children's physical health and academic outcomes, both as children and adults. Maternal education is associated with children's nutritional status and potential obesity. Children of mothers with a high school diploma or less have a higher likelihood of adolescent obesity. Higher education levels are associated with maternal reproductive decisions including contraceptive use, having fewer children, and a later age of marriage.
Definition
Percentage of live births to women who had completed high school or higher. Includes New Mexico resident births. Unknown and missing responses have been excluded from the denominator.
Data Sources
- Birth Certificate Data, Bureau of Vital Records and Health Statistics (BVRHS), Epidemiology and Response Division, New Mexico Department of Health.
(https://www.nmhealth.org/about/erd/bvrhs/vrp/) - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, CDC WONDER Online Database
(http://wonder.cdc.gov)
How the Measure is Calculated
| Numerator: | Number of live-born infants born to women who had completed high school or higher. |
| Denominator: | Total number of live-born infants. |
Other Objectives
New Mexico Early Learning Indicator
More Resources
Abuya, B., Ciera, J., Kimani-Murage, E. Effect of mother's education on child's nutritional status in the slums of Nairobi. BMC Pediatrics 2012, 12:80 Dubow, E., Boxer, P., Huesman, L., Long-term Effects of Parents' Education on Children's Educational and Occupational Success: Mediation by Family Interactions, Child Aggression, and Teenage Aspirations. Merrill Palmer Q (Wayne State Univ Press). 2009 Jul; 55(3): 224-249. Magnuson K. Maternal education and children's academic achievement during middle childhood. Dev Psychol. 2007 Nov;43(6):1497-512. UNESCO, Education Counts: Towards the Millennium Development Goals (Paris: UNESCO, 2010), accessed at [http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0019/001902/190214e.pdf] Wang L, Slawson DL, Relyea G, Southerland JL, Wang Y. Prevalence of and Risk Factors for Adolescent Obesity in Southern Appalachia, 2012. Prev Chronic Dis 2014;11:E222