SSM - Population Health
Volume 9, 2019

Birthweight of babies born to migrant mothers - What role do integration policies play? (Article) (Open Access)

Sørbye I.K.* , Vangen S. , Juarez S.P. , Bolumar F. , Morisaki N. , Gissler M. , Andersen A.-M.N. , Racape J. , Small R. , Wood R. , Urquia M.L.
  • a Norwegian Advisory Unit for Women's Health, Department of Obstetrics, Oslo University Hospital, Norway
  • b Norwegian Advisory Unit for Women's Health, Department of Obstetrics, Oslo University Hospital, Norway
  • c Department of Public Health Sciences, Stockholm University, Sweden
  • d Unit of Public Health, School of Medicine, University of Alcalá, Madrid, Spain, City University of New York School of Public Health, New York, United States
  • e Department of Social Medicine, National Center for Child Health and Development, Japan
  • f THL National Institute for Health and Welfare, Information Services Department, Helsinki, Finland, Karolinska Institute, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Stockholm, Sweden
  • g Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
  • h École de Santé Publique, Faculté de Médecine, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium
  • i Judith Lumley Centre, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia, Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
  • j NHS National Services Scotland, Information Services Division, Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
  • k Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Abstract

Birthweights of babies born to migrant women are generally lower than those of babies born to native-born women. Favourable integration policies may improve migrants’ living conditions and contribute to higher birthweights. We aimed to explore associations between integration policies, captured by the Migrant Integration Policy Index (MIPEX), with offspring birthweight among migrants from various world regions. In this cross-country study we pooled 31 million term birth records between 1998 and 2014 from ten high-income countries: Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Japan, Norway, Spain, Sweden and United Kingdom (Scotland). Birthweight differences in grams (g) were analysed with regression analysis for aggregate data and random effects models. Proportion of births to migrant women varied from 2% in Japan to 28% in Australia. The MIPEX score was not associated with birthweight in most migrant groups, but was positively associated among native-born (mean birthweight difference associated with a 10-unit increase in MIPEX: 105 g; 95% CI: 24, 186). Birthweight among migrants was highest in the Nordic countries and lowest in Japan and Belgium. Migrants from a given origin had heavier newborns in countries where the mean birthweight of native-born was higher and vice versa. Mean birthweight differences between migrants from the same origin and the native-born varied substantially across destinations (70 g–285 g). Birthweight among migrants does not correlate with MIPEX scores. However, birthweight of migrant groups aligned better with that of the native-born in destination counties. Further studies may clarify which broader social policies support migrant women and have impacts on perinatal outcomes. © 2019 The Authors

Author Keywords

Pregnancy Migration Birthweight MIPEX

Index Keywords

Finland progeny Australia Norway indigenous people human Denmark controlled study policy high income country Sweden migrant Canada Japan female Spain Infant newborn pregnancy Belgium Article mother Scotland term birth Birth Weight
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85074369000&doi=10.1016%2fj.ssmph.2019.100503&partnerID=40&md5=69f7de99ebef0c0ec9a277358ad830ec
DOI: 10.1016/j.ssmph.2019.100503
ISSN: 23528273
Original Language: English