International migration and adverse birth outcomes: role of ethnicity, region of origin and destination.
BACKGROUND
The literature on international migration and birth outcomes shows mixed results. This study examined whether low birth weight (LBW) and preterm birth differed between non-migrants and migrant subgroups, defined by race/ethnicity and world region of origin and destination.


METHODS
A systematic review and meta-regression analyses were conducted using three-level logistic models to account for the heterogeneity between studies and between subgroups within studies.


RESULTS
Twenty-four studies, involving more than 30 million singleton births, met the inclusion criteria. Compared with US-born black women, black migrant women were at lower odds of delivering LBW and preterm birth babies. Hispanic migrants also exhibited lower odds for these outcomes, but Asian and white migrants did not. Sub-Saharan African and Latin-American and Caribbean women were at higher odds of delivering LBW babies in Europe but not in the USA and south-central Asians were at higher odds in both continents, compared with the native-born populations.


CONCLUSIONS
The association between migration and adverse birth outcomes varies by migrant subgroup and it is sensitive to the definition of the migrant and reference groups.
Urquia
Marcelo Luis
ML
Centre for Research on Inner City Health, St Michael's Hospital, Toronto, ON M5C 1N8, Canada. marcelo.urquia@utoronto.ca
Glazier
Richard Henry
RH
Blondel
Beatrice
B
Zeitlin
Jennifer
J
Gissler
Mika
M
Macfarlane
Alison
A
Ng
Edward
E
Heaman
Maureen
M
Stray-Pedersen
Babill
B
Gagnon
Anita J
AJ
D017954:Africa South of the Sahara / Q000208:ethnology; D001208:Asia / Q000208:ethnology; D002391:Catchment Area, Health; D004641:Emigration and Immigration / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005060:Europe; D005260:Female; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D007230:Infant, Low Birth Weight; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome / Q000208:ethnology*; D014481:United States
Stat Methods Med Res. 2001 Dec;10(6):375-92
11763548
J Obstet Gynaecol. 2004 Aug;24(5):510-2
15369928
Ir Med J. 2001 Mar;94(3):79-80
11354688
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 1999 Feb;153(2):147-53
9988244
BMJ. 1994 Jul 30;309(6950):327-30
8086873
Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2005 Aug;193(2):475-82
16098873
N Engl J Med. 1997 Oct 23;337(17):1209-14
9337381
Am J Epidemiol. 2000 Jun 1;151(11):1080-5
10873132
Int J Gynaecol Obstet. 1996 Mar;52(3):281-2
8775685
Aust Nurs J. 1998 Jun;5(11):33
10639962
Early Hum Dev. 1995 Jun 21;42(2):111-21
7588156
Minerva Ginecol. 2000 Nov;52(11):447-57
11256173
Soc Sci Med. 2002 Dec;55(12):2171-5
12409130
An Pediatr (Barc). 2006 Jun;64(6):550-6
16792963
J Gynecol Obstet Biol Reprod (Paris). 1999 Sep;28(5):462-71
10566166
J Obstet Gynaecol. 2003 Nov;23(6):615-7
14617461
Am J Epidemiol. 1997 Jan 15;145(2):148-55
9006311
Pediatrics. 2003 Jun;111(6 Pt 1):e676-82
12777585
MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2002 Dec 6;51(48):1091-5
12528921
BJOG. 2004 Aug;111(8):849-55
15270935
Pediatr Med Chir. 2000 Jul-Aug;21(4):197-8
10767981
Am J Public Health. 1997 Jun;87(6):1022-6
9224189
Soc Sci Med. 2006 Jan;62(2):491-8
16039025
Acta Paediatr. 2005 Jul;94(7):986-8
16188834
Health Stat Q. 2004 Autumn;(23):25-33
15704382
Int J Epidemiol. 2006 Oct;35(5):1187-95
16847026
Am J Epidemiol. 1995 Nov 1;142(9 Suppl):S30-8
7572985
Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol. 1995 Oct;9(4):441-54
8570469
Vital Health Stat 2. 1993 Mar;(116):1-19
8328134
Ann Ist Super Sanita. 2002;38(4):357-65
12760332
Ethn Dis. 1997 Autumn;7(3):229-40
9467706
J Immigr Health. 2002 Jul;4(3):125-36
16228756
Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol. 2005 Jul 1;121(1):38-45
15936867
Clin Exp Obstet Gynecol. 2005;32(1):55-7
15864940
Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol. 2000 Oct;14(4):314-23
11101018
Health Serv Res. 2000 Oct;35(4):869-83
11055453
Int J Gynaecol Obstet. 2003 Dec;83(3):257-65
14643035
Am J Public Health. 1996 Jun;86(6):837-43
8659659
Am J Public Health. 1998 May;88(5):808-11
9585752
Am J Public Health. 2001 Nov;91(11):1808-14
11684609
Int J Epidemiol. 2004 Dec;33(6):1279-85
15155695
Eur J Public Health. 2004 Dec;14(4):381-3
15542873
Aust J Public Health. 1995 Dec;19(6):629-33
8616205
Ann Epidemiol. 2000 Nov;10(8):516-23
11118931
Soc Sci Med. 2009 Feb;68(3):452-61
19042065
Am J Prev Med. 2001 Apr;20(3 Suppl):21-35
11306229
Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand. 2000 Sep;79(9):737-43
10993096
Stat Med. 2002 Jun 15;21(11):1559-73
12111920
Am J Epidemiol. 2008 Jun 1;167(11):1295-304
18367470
J Epidemiol Community Health. 1995 Dec;49(6):588-93
8596093
Int Migr Rev. 1997 Winter;31(4):975-1,008
12293212
Ann Epidemiol. 1993 Mar;3(2):130-6
8269064
Ethn Health. 1999 Feb-May;4(1-2):29-34
10887459
Pediatrics. 2005 Jan;115(1):e20-30
15629963
Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand. 2003 Feb;82(2):192-3
12648185
Matern Child Health J. 1999 Dec;3(4):177-87
10791358
Matern Child Health J. 2001 Sep;5(3):179-87
11605723
Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand. 1996 Apr;75(4):367-71
8638458
Int J Fertil Womens Med. 2005 Jul-Aug;50(4):175-9
16405102
Am J Epidemiol. 2001 Aug 15;154(4):291-8
11495850
Matern Child Health J. 1999 Jun;3(2):99-109
10892418
Rev Epidemiol Sante Publique. 2001 Oct;49(5):439-47
11845093
Epidemiology. 1998 May;9(3):279-85
9583419
Int J Epidemiol. 2006 Apr;35(2):270-6
16280368
J Urban Health. 2002 Mar;79(1):147-60
11937623
Soc Sci Med. 2003 Oct;57(8):1443-54
12927474
Br J Obstet Gynaecol. 1995 Aug;102(8):630-7
7654641
Int J Forecast. 1992 Nov;8(3):459-76
12345091
J Pediatr. 2006 Mar;148(3):341-6
16615964
Int Migr Rev. 1997 Winter;31(4):923-60
12293210
Epidemiol Prev. 1996 Apr-Sep;20(2-3):80-2
8766280
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 1998 Nov;152(11):1105-12
9811289
J Natl Med Assoc. 2005 Apr;97(4):550-6
15868775
Pediatrics. 2006 Nov;118(5):e1399-405
17079541
Matern Child Health J. 2000 Dec;4(4):241-50
11272344
Int J Epidemiol. 2002 Jun;31(3):654-60
12055170
JAMA. 2000 Apr 19;283(15):2008-12
10789670
Soc Sci Med. 2006 Apr;62(7):1731-44
16236414
Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol. 2004 Oct 15;116(2):170-2
15358458
BMJ. 1995 Jul 8;311(6997):86-8
7613407
Pediatrics. 1999 Jan;103(1):E5
9917485
Med Pregl. 1999 Jan-Feb;52(1-2):53-6
10352505
Am J Epidemiol. 2000 Aug 15;152(4):347-51
10968379
Scand J Public Health. 2004;32(6):442-9
15762029
Panminerva Med. 2001 Sep;43(3):155-9
11579327
Aust N Z J Obstet Gynaecol. 2001 May;41(2):182-6
11453268
Aust N Z J Public Health. 1999 Apr;23(2):179-84
10330734
Stat Med. 2004 Jun 15;23(11):1663-82
15160401
An Pediatr (Barc). 2004 Jan;60(1):3-8
14718125
Ann Epidemiol. 2006 Jul;16(7):572-9
16464611
Matern Child Health J. 2006 Jan;10(1):33-8
16362236
Demography. 2006 Feb;43(1):185-201
16579214
Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2003 Dec;189(6):1779-84
14710115
Am J Public Health. 1996 Jun;86(6):820-4
8659656
J Epidemiol Community Health. 2002 Sep;56(9):684-7
12177085