Birth defects in the offspring of non-Caucasian, non-Indigenous women in Western Australia.
BACKGROUND
Birth defects in infants born to non-Caucasian, non-Indigenous mothers in Australia have not been described in detail previously.


METHODS
Using data from the Western Australian Maternal and Child Health Research Data Base, an index cohort of all non-Caucasian, non-Indigenous mothers giving birth in Western Australia between 1985 and 1995 (n = 17,706 births) was compared with a 10% random sample of births to Caucasian mothers (n = 24,180) over the same period.


RESULTS
Overall, the index mothers had a 21% less risk of having a baby with birth defects (prevalence ratio, 0.79; 95% confidence interval, 0.72-0.86). The six major countries of birth of the index mothers were Vietnam, the Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, India, and New Zealand. Mothers from Vietnam and the Philippines were significantly less likely to have a baby with a birth defect. The prevalences for the remaining four maternal countries of birth were not significantly different from that in the comparison cohort.


CONCLUSIONS
The difference in risk of birth defects is probably not a result of confounding by maternal age, plurality, parity, socioeconomic status, marital status, or place of residence. However, it may be a real difference or a result of ascertainment bias.
Kwon
Seonghee
S
Department of Public Health, University of Western Australia, Nedlands, Western Australia.
Bower
Carol
C
English
Dallas
D
D000328:Adult; D044466:Asian People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000013:Congenital Abnormalities / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008423:Maternal Age; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011247:Pregnancy; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D014904:Western Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*