Sociological theory suggests that ethnic enclaves promote immigrant health. Existing studies of ethnic enclaves and immigrant birth outcomes have generally focused on blacks and Hispanics, while few have focused on immigrants from India — the second largest immigrant group in the U.S., after Mexicans. Paradoxically, this group generally exhibits worse birth outcomes than non-Hispanic whites, despite their high levels of education. This study investigates associations between residence in South Central Asian ethnic enclaves and both birth outcomes and prenatal behaviors of immigrant mothers from India, using population-level birth record data from the state of New Jersey in the U.S. (1999–2012; n = 64,375). Results indicate that residence in a South Central Asian enclave is associated with less prenatal smoking and earlier prenatal care, but not with birthweight- or gestational-age related outcomes, among immigrant mothers from India. These findings are consistent with theory suggesting that social support, social capital, and social norms transmitted through the social networks present in ethnic enclaves foster health-promoting behaviors. Notably, the prenatal behaviors of non-Hispanic white mothers were not associated to a large degree with living in South Central Asian enclaves, which is also consistent with theory and bolsters our confidence that the observed associations for immigrant mothers from India are not spurious. © 2018 Elsevier Ltd

immigrants Adverse birth outcomes Immigrants from India Prenatal smoking Preterm birth low birthweight Ethnic enclave USA

New Jersey Birth Rate immigrant social capital social norm prenatal care India maternal health demography human epidemiology Health Behavior statistics and numerical data prenatal period ethnic group controlled study social network health status premature labor social support ethnology Residence Characteristics United States Young Adult Humans migrant psychology smoking Adolescent Infant, Newborn male maternal smoking female residential area Emigrants and Immigrants Infant newborn pregnancy Mothers Article low birth weight pregnancy outcome major clinical study mother adult Asian immigrant ethnicity Birth Weight gestational age immigrant population