Maternal nativity status and birth outcomes in Asian immigrants.
BACKGROUND
The study examines the relationship between maternal nativity, maternal risks and birth outcomes in six Asian sub-populations.


METHODS
U.S.- versus foreign-born immigrants of Chinese (67,222), Japanese (18,275) and Filipino (87,1208), Vietnamese (45,229), Cambodian/Laotian (21,237), and Korean (23,430) singleton live births were assessed for maternal risks and birth outcomes.


RESULTS
U.S.-born Chinese and Japanese mothers had lower risk and increased preterm births but similar infant mortality, while U.S.-born Filipino mothers had higher risk and higher infant mortality. U.S.-born mothers of more recent Cambodian/Laotian and Vietnamese immigrants had higher risk and delivered more small and preterm births, while U.S.-born Korean mothers had higher risk but no differences in preterm and low birthweight delivery.


CONCLUSIONS
Asians in America are a distinctly heterogenous population in terms of the relationship between maternal risk factors and birth outcomes and the influence of maternal nativity on this relationship.
Qin
Cheng
C
University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. caq9@cdc.gov
Gould
Jeffrey B
JB
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001208:Asia / Q000208:ethnology; D001213:Asian; D002140:California / Q000453:epidemiology; D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007226:Infant Mortality / Q000208:ethnology; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D009035:Mothers / Q000145:classification; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D047928:Premature Birth / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology; D014798:Vital Statistics