title: Perinatal outcomes among foreign-born and US-born Chinese Americans, 1995-2000.
abstract: This paper examines nativity differences in adverse perinatal outcomes of Chinese-American mothers. Singleton live births to US-resident Chinese women (150,620 foreign-born, 15,040 US-born) and a random sample of 150,620 non-Hispanic White mothers were selected from 1995 to 2000 national linked birth/infant death certificate files. Associations between maternal nativity status and adverse perinatal outcomes were assessed using multivariable logistic regressions. Compared to US-born Chinese mothers, foreign-born Chinese mothers were less likely to be unmarried, teen mothers, have a non-Hispanic White or other race partner, be rural residents, and more likely to be less educated, or utilize prenatal care inadequately. Controlling for these factors, foreign-born Chinese-American mothers had significantly lower risks for low birth weight, preterm birth, and small-for-gestational age, whereas risks for infant mortality, neonatal mortality, and post-neonatal mortality did not differ significantly from those of infants of US-born Chinese mothers. Chinese Americans exhibited clear nativity differentials for adverse birth outcomes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Maternal and Child Health, School of Public Health, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1665 University Boulevard, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA. youliqing@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Qing
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Louis G
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Keith
authors.forename: Russell S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Kirby
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001213:Asian / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002681:China / Q000208:ethnology; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007230:Infant, Low Birth Weight; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D038622:Internationality; D016015:Logistic Models; D009035:Mothers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D016017:Odds Ratio; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D011295:Prenatal Care; D014481:United States; D044465:White People; D055815:Young Adult