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The purpose of this study was to assess the contribution of chronic social stressors to race/ethnic differences in the rate of bacterial vaginosis among pregnant women in the inner-city area.

We conducted a cross-sectional clinical prevalence study in a sample of 2304 women at the first prenatal visit (14.8 ± 0.2 weeks of gestation). Bacterial vaginosis was diagnosed by Nugent's method. Stress was measured at the individual and community levels with the use of interviews and administrative records. Logistic regression was used to assess the effects of stress on the odds of bacterial vaginosis occurrence, after adjustment for demographic and behavioral risk.

Black women had significantly higher rates of bacterial vaginosis (64%) compared with white women (35%). Exposure to chronic stressors at the individual level differed by race (eg, 32% of the black women reported threats to …