Journal of Pediatrics
Volume 204, 2019, Pages 275-284.e3

Risk of Developmental Disorders in Children of Immigrant Mothers: A Population-Based Data Linkage Evaluation (Article)

Abdullahi I. , Wong K. , Mutch R. , Glasson E.J. , de Klerk N. , Cherian S. , Downs J. , Leonard H.*
  • a Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia, School of Pediatrics and Child Health, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
  • b Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
  • c Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia, School of Pediatrics and Child Health, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia, Department of General Pediatrics, Perth Children's Hospital, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
  • d Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
  • e Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
  • f School of Pediatrics and Child Health, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia, Department of General Pediatrics, Perth Children's Hospital, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
  • g Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia, School of Physiotherapy and Exercise Science, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
  • h Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia

Abstract

Objectives: To evaluate the prevalence and risks of developmental disability (autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disability, and cerebral palsy) in Western Australian children of different groups of foreign-born women. Study design: Western Australian population-based linked data of 764 749 singleton live births from 1980 to 2010 were used to compare disability outcomes among children of foreign-born, Australian-born non-Indigenous, and Indigenous women. The risk of disability was assessed using multinomial logistic regression. Results: Overall, the prevalence of any disability was lowest for the children of foreign-born mothers. From 1980 to 1996 but not from 1997 to 2010, children born to mothers from foreign-born low-income countries had an increased relative risk of autism spectrum disorder with intellectual disability, and children born to foreign-born mothers from upper-middle-income countries had an increased risk of cerebral palsy with intellectual disability. After adjusting for smoking, the relative risks of intellectual disability and cerebral palsy with intellectual disability were markedly decreased in children of Australian-born Indigenous mothers. Conclusions: Although we did not find among children born to foreign-born women an increased prevalence across all the measured developmental outcomes, we did observe an increased risk of autism spectrum disorder with intellectual disability and cerebral palsy with intellectual disability for mothers of some foreign-born groups. Our findings related to smoking in the Indigenous population underscore its possible role on the causal pathway to intellectual disability. Maternal migration is considered a factor on the causal pathway to intellectual disability. Maternal migration may be either a risk or a protective factor on the causal pathway to developmental disabilities and the direct role of migration is inconclusive in our study. © 2018 Elsevier Inc.

Author Keywords

Intellectual disability Cerebral palsy Autism spectrum disorder Immigration Developmental disability

Index Keywords

immigrant Registries Australia logistic regression analysis information retrieval register human risk assessment Cohort Studies middle income country statistics and numerical data autism priority journal comparative study Indigenous Australian high income country Humans migrant developmental disorder smoking Adolescent male Emigrants and Immigrants intellectual impairment female Developmental Disabilities Cerebral Palsy risk factor Risk Factors evaluation study pregnancy Western Australia Mothers prevalence Article Retrospective Studies major clinical study mother adult data analysis live birth Information Storage and Retrieval cohort analysis low income country retrospective study Child
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85054180983&doi=10.1016%2fj.jpeds.2018.08.047&partnerID=40&md5=1bc6df5860fd5bdd7bf709c85586dce4
DOI: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2018.08.047
ISSN: 00223476
Cited by: 1
Original Language: English