title: Neighbourhood context and abuse among immigrant and non-immigrant women in Canada: findings from the Maternity Experiences Survey.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the relationship between neighbourhood deprivation and concentration of immigrants, and abuse among immigrant women versus non-immigrant women.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using data from the Canadian Maternity Experiences Survey (un-weighted sample N = 5,679 and weighted sample N = 68,719) linked to the neighbourhoods Census data, we performed contextual analysis to compare abuse prevalence among: immigrants ≤5 years, immigrants >5 years and Canadian-born. We identified two level effect modifiers: living in high (≤15 % of households at or below low-income cut-off- [LICO]) versus low-income (>15 % below LICO) neighbourhoods and living in high (≥25 %) versus low immigrant (<25 %) neighbourhoods. Individual socioeconomic position (SEP), family variables and neighbourhood SEP or percentage of immigrants were considered in different logistic regression models.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Immigrant women were less likely to experience abuse even upon adjustment for individual SEP, family variables and neighbourhood characteristics. The protective effect of the neighborhood was stronger among immigrant women living in low-income and high immigrant neighborhoods, irrespective of length of stay in Canada.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Policies and interventions to reduce abuse among immigrant women need to consider neighbourhood's SEP and concentration of immigrants.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Health Services Evaluation, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel. daoud@bgu.ac.il
authors.forename: Nihaya
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Daoud
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: O'Campo
authors.forename: Marcelo L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Urquia
authors.forename: Maureen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Heaman
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002170:Canada / Q000453:epidemiology; D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011247:Pregnancy; D015995:Prevalence; D012111:Residence Characteristics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012923:Social Class; D012944:Social Support; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013179:Spouse Abuse / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055815:Young Adult