Unintended births among adult immigrant and U.S.-born Mexican women in the Los Angeles Mommy and Baby (LAMB) survey.
BACKGROUND
Unintended births are especially frequent among minority women. Predictors of unintended births among adult Mexican women living in the United States are poorly characterized.


METHODS
Data are from vital statistics and the 2005 Los Angeles Mommy and Baby (LAMB) survey, a population-based study of women delivering a live birth in Los Angeles County, California (n = 1,214). Multivariable logistic regression assessed the relation of unintended birth with acculturation variables adjusting for background and psychosocial characteristics. Multinomial models assessed these relations for women with an unintended birth who did and did not use contraception.


RESULTS
Forty-one percent of women reported an unintended birth. Being a long-term immigrant and U.S.-born were positively associated with unintended birth compared with shorter term immigrants, but the adjusted relation was significant only for U.S.-born women (odds ratio [OR], 2.01; 95% CI, 1.19-3.39). Women reporting an unintended birth were younger, unmarried, and higher parity. If using contraception, the odds of unintended birth were increased for cohabiting women, those with high education, and those with greater stress during pregnancy. When not using contraception and reporting an unintended birth, women also have no usual place for health care, have depressive symptoms during pregnancy, and are dissatisfied with partner support.


CONCLUSIONS
Women's background and psychosocial characteristics were central to explaining unintended birth among immigrant women but less so for U.S.-born Mexican mothers. Interventions to improve birth intentions should not only target effective contraception, but also important social determinants.
Division of General Internal Medicine and Health Services Research, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, California. Electronic address: kcoller@mednet.ucla.edu.
Karen M
KM
Coller
Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Los Angeles, California.
Shin M
SM
Chao
Department of Community Health Sciences, Fielding School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles, California; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, California.
Michael C
MC
Lu
Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health, Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland.
Donna
D
Strobino
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D002676:Child, Unwanted / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003267:Contraception; D003469:Culture; D003863:Depression / Q000150:complications; D004522:Educational Status; D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants; D005260:Female; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D015141:Los Angeles / Q000453:epidemiology; D017533:Marital Status; D017058:Mexican Americans; D008800:Mexico / Q000208:ethnology; D010298:Parity; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000523:psychology; D012307:Risk Factors; D012747:Sexual Partners; D013315:Stress, Psychological; D055815:Young Adult