TABLE 1.
Sample Characteristics, Prevalence of Perceived Discrimination, and Unadjusted and Adjusted Odds Ratios (ORs) of Perceived Racial/Ethnic Discrimination Among Fifth-Grade Students (N = 5147): Birmingham, AL; Houston, TX; and Los Angeles, CA; 2004–2006
| Total, Unweighted No. (Weighted %) | Perceived Discrimination, % | Perceived Discrimination Overall, OR (95% CI) | Model 1,a AOR (95% CI) | Model 2,b AOR (95% CI) | |
| Total | 15 | ||||
| City | |||||
| Birmingham (Ref) | 1594 (31) | 12 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| Houston | 1783 (35) | 17 | 1.5** (1.1, 2.0) | 1.4* (1.0, 1.9) | 1.5 (1.0, 2.2) |
| Los Angeles | 1770 (34) | 15 | 1.4* (1.0, 1.9) | 1.6** (1.1, 2.1) | 1.8** (1.2, 2.6) |
| Child race/ethnicity | |||||
| Black | 1738 (29) | 20 | 3.2*** (2.3, 4.4) | 2.6*** (1.7, 3.8) | 2.8*** (1.7, 4.7) |
| Hispanic | 1792 (44) | 15 | 2.3*** (1.7, 3.2) | 1.5 (1.0, 2.3) | 1.4 (0.9, 2.4) |
| White (Ref) | 1224 (22) | 7 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| Other | 393 (6) | 16 | 2.5*** (1.6, 3.8) | 2.1** (1.3, 3.3) | 2.4*** (1.5, 3.9) |
| Child's age ≥ 11 yc | 2808 (57) | 15 | 1.1 (0.9, 1.3) | 1.1 (0.9, 1.3) | 1.1 (0.9, 1.3) |
| Male child | 2536 (51) | 15 | 1.2 (0.9, 1.4) | 1.2 (0.9, 1.4) | 1.1 (0.9, 1.3) |
| Household income as % of federal poverty level | |||||
| ≤ 100 (Ref) | 1596 (37) | 15 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| 101–299 | 1669 (36) | 17 | 1.2 (0.9, 1.4) | 1.3* (1.1, 1.6) | 1.3* (1.0, 1.7) |
| ≥ 300 | 1477 (27) | 10 | 0.6*** (0.5, 0.7) | 0.9 (0.6, 1.3) | 0.9 (0.6, 1.3) |
| Parent education | |||||
| Less than high school | 1224 (31) | 16 | 1.6*** (1.3, 2.0) | 1.1 (0.8, 1.6) | 1.1 (0.7, 1.5) |
| High school or some college | 2352 (45) | 15 | 1.5** (1.2, 1.9) | 1.0 (0.7, 1.4) | 0.9 (0.7, 1.3) |
| 4-y college degree or more (Ref) | 1449 (24) | 11 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| Household composition | |||||
| 2 parent (Ref) | 2850 (58) | 13 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| 1 parent | 2017 (38) | 16 | 1.3* (1.0, 1.6) | 1.0 (0.8, 1.3) | 1.0 (0.8, 1.4) |
| Foster, adoptive, or other | 241 (4) | 24 | 2.1** (1.3, 3.4) | 1.8* (1.2, 2.8) | 1.5 (0.9, 2.7) |
| Child born outside United States | 453 (10) | 14 | 0.9 (0.6, 1.4) | 0.9 (0.5, 1.4) | 1.0 (0.6, 1.7) |
| Child interview in Spanish | 331 (8) | 17 | 1.2 (0.8, 1.7) | 1.5 (1.0, 2.3) | 1.3 (0.8, 2.1) |
| School composition | |||||
| Black | … | … | … | … | 0.8 (0.4, 1.5) |
| … | |||||
| Hispanic | … | … | … | … | 1.1 (0.6, 2.2) |
| … | |||||
| White (Ref) | … | … | … | … | 1.0 |
| … | |||||
| Other | … | … | … | … | 0.4 (0.03, 4.8) |
| … |
Note. AOR = adjusted odds ratio; CI = confidence interval. Unadjusted ORs were not calculated for school racial/ethnic composition variables.
Model 1 examined the differences in the characteristics of children who did and did not report perceived racial/ethnic discrimination while controlling for other potentially confounding covariates (study city, poverty level, parental education level, household composition, and child age, gender, foreign birth, and interview language). Model 1 does not include covariates for school racial/ethnic composition.
Model 2 examined the perceived racial/ethnic discrimination at school and included variables to indicate school racial/ethnic composition.
The referent category was child's age 10 years or younger.
*P < .05; **P < .01; ***P < .001.