title: Comparison of maternity experiences of Canadian-born and recent and non-recent immigrant women: findings from the Canadian Maternity Experiences Survey.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the maternity experiences of immigrant women (recent, ≤ 5 years in Canada; non-recent > 5 years) with those of Canadian-born women.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study was based on data from the Canadian Maternity Experiences Survey of the Public Health Agency of Canada. A stratified random sample of 6421 women was drawn from a sampling frame based on the 2006 Canadian Census of Population. Weighted proportions were calculated using survey sample weights. Multivariable logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios comparing recent immigrant women with Canadian-born women and non-recent immigrant women with Canadian-born women, adjusting for education, income, parity, and maternal age.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The sample comprised 7.5% recent immigrants, 16.3% non-recent immigrants, and 76.2% Canadian-born women. Immigrant women reported experiencing less physical abuse and stress, and they were less likely to smoke or consume alcohol during pregnancy, than Canadian women; however, they were more likely to report high levels of postpartum depression symptoms and were less likely to have access to social support, to take folic acid before and during pregnancy, to rate their own and their infant's health as optimal, and to place their infants on their backs for sleeping. Recent and non-recent immigrant women also had different experiences, suggesting that duration of residence in Canada plays a role in immigrant women's maternity experiences.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings can assist clinicians and policy-makers to understand the disparities that exist between immigrant and non-immigrant women in order to address the needs of immigrant women more effectively.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Nursing, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg MB.
authors.forename: Dawn
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kingston
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Nursing, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg MB.
authors.forename: Maureen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Heaman
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Ottawa Health Research Institute, University of Ottawa, Ottawa ON.
authors.forename: Beverley
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Chalmers
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Practice, University of British Columbia, Vancouver BC.
authors.forename: Janusz
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kaczorowski
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Nursing, University of Alberta, Edmonton AB.
authors.forename: Beverley
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: O'Brien
authors.affiliation: British Columbia Perinatal Services, Provincial Health Service Authority, Vancouver BC.
authors.forename: Lily
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Maternal and Infant Health Section, Health Surveillance and Epidemiology Division, Public Health Agency of Canada, Ottawa ON.
authors.forename: Susie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dzakpasu
authors.affiliation: Centre for Research on Inner City Health; Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto ON.
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: O'Campo
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002170:Canada; D019052:Depression, Postpartum / Q000453:epidemiology; D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008425:Maternal Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D012944:Social Support; D013179:Spouse Abuse / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000453:epidemiology