American Journal of Public Health
Volume 99, Issue 2, 2009, Pages 285-293

Neighborhood context and infant birthweight among recent immigrant mothers: A multilevel analysis (Article)

Urquia M.L. , Frank J.W. , Glazier R.H. , Moineddin R. , Matheson F.I. , Gagnon A.J.
  • a Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada, Centre for Research on Inner City Health, St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada, Centre for Research on Inner City Health, St. Michael's Hospital, 70 Richmond St East, Toronto, ON M5C 1N8, Canada
  • b Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Institute of Population and Public Health, Toronto, ON, Canada
  • c Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada, Centre for Research on Inner City Health, St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada, Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences, Toronto, ON, Canada
  • d Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada, Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences, Toronto, ON, Canada
  • e Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada, Centre for Research on Inner City Health, St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada
  • f School of Nursing, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada

Abstract

Objectives. We compared the influence of the residential environment and maternal country of origin on birthweight and low birthweight of infants born to recent immigrants to urban Ontario. Methods. We linked delivery records (1993-2000) to an immigration database (1993-1995) and small-area census data (1996). The datawere analyzed with cross-classified random-effects models and standard multilevel methods. Higher-level predictors included 4 independent measures of neighborhood context constructed by factor analysis and maternal world regions of origin. Results. Births (N=22189) were distributed across 1396 census tracts and 155 countries of origin. The associations between neighborhood indices and birthweight disappeared after we controlled for the maternal country of origin in a cross-classified multilevel model. Significant associations between world regions and birthweight and low birthweight persisted after we controlled for neighborhood context and individual characteristics. Conclusions. The residential environment has little, if any, influence on birthweight among recent immigrants to Ontario. Country of origin appears to be amuchmore important factor in low birthweight among children of recent immigrants than current neighborhood. Findings of neighborhood influences among recent immigrants should be interpretedwith caution.

Author Keywords

[No Keywords available]

Index Keywords

urban area immigrant demography risk human middle aged Odds Ratio Databases, Factual factual database Residence Characteristics Young Adult Humans Adolescent Infant, Newborn Canada male Emigrants and Immigrants environmental factor Infant female newborn Mothers population research Infant, Low Birth Weight birth certificate Article low birth weight Ontario major clinical study mother adult migration Censuses Birth Certificates Birth Weight
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-59049103602&doi=10.2105%2fAJPH.2007.127498&partnerID=40&md5=b7746cf76528425337e4f71f120c6101
DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2007.127498
ISSN: 00900036
Cited by: 26
Original Language: English