title: Pregnancy outcomes of US-born and foreign-born Japanese Americans.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study investigated the birth outcomes of Japanese Americans, focusing on the role of the mother's place of birth.
  
  
  METHODS
  Single live births to US-resident Japanese American mothers (n = 37,941) were selected from the 1983 through 1987 US linked live birth-infant death files.
  
  
  RESULTS
  US-born mothers were more likely than foreign-born mothers to be less than 18 years old and not married, to start prenatal care early, and to more adequately use prenatal care. Infants of foreign-born Japanese Americans had a slightly lower risk of low birthweight.No significant differences were found between nativity groups for very low birthweight or neonatal, postneonatal, and infant mortality. The mortality rates of infants of US-born (6.2) and foreign-born (5.4) Japanese American women were below the US Year 2000 objective but still exceeded Japan's 1990 rate (4.6). However, low-birthweight percentages of the US-born group (5.7%) and the foreign-born group (5.0%) were similar to that of Japan (5.5%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The infants of foreign-born Japanese-American women exhibited modestly better low-birthweight percentages than those of US-born Japanese Americans. This finding supports theories of the healthy immigrant.
authors.affiliation: Department of Maternal and Child Health, School of Public Health, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 35294-2010, USA.
authors.forename: G R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Alexander
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Mor
authors.forename: M D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Kogan
authors.forename: N L
authors.initials: NL
authors.lastname: Leland
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kieffer
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001213:Asian; D001724:Birth Weight; D004641:Emigration and Immigration; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007226:Infant Mortality; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007564:Japan / Q000208:ethnology; D017533:Marital Status; D008423:Maternal Age; D011159:Population Surveillance; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome / Q000208:ethnology*; D011295:Prenatal Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology