[Induced abortion among women with foreign cultural background in Oslo].
BACKGROUND
A large proportion of women requesting induced abortion in Oslo, Norway are of non-Western origin. The aim of this study was to investigate whether non-Western immigrant women are over-represented among women requesting induced abortion. For comparative purposes the proportion of non-Western women with deliveries was also assessed.


METHODS
Included in the study were all women 16-50 years of age, living in Oslo in 1999. Age specific data on the number of female residents and the number of women with deliveries according to immigrant status were obtained from the City of Oslo's Statistical Office. Information on the number of induced abortions according to age and immigrant status was obtained from the medical records of all women requesting induced abortion in Oslo during a four-months period.


RESULTS
25% of all women requesting induced abortion (262/1,069) and 15.5% (20,637/132,843) of the general population were non-Western (ratio between proportions = 1.6, p < 0.05 chi square test). Non-Western women were over-represented in all age groups of women requesting induced abortion; this was most pronounced in the age groups > 35 years. Non-Western women were also over-represented in all age groups of women who had delivery. Half of all deliveries in women < 25 years were among non-Western women.


CONCLUSIONS
Non-Western immigrant women seem to represent a risk group for induced abortion.
Eskild
Anne
A
Kvinnesenteret Ullevål uniyersitetssykehus 0407 Oslo. anne.eskild@ulleval.no
Helgadottir
Linda Bjørk
LB
Jerve
Fridtjof
F
Qvigstad
Erik
E
Stray-Pedersen
Sverre
S
Løset
Ase
A
D000023:Abortion Applicants / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000028:Abortion, Induced / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000029:Abortion, Legal / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003466:Cultural Characteristics; D004641:Emigration and Immigration; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009664:Norway / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology; D011247:Pregnancy