title: Induced abortion and contraception use: among immigrant and Canadian-born women in Calgary, Alta.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine what proportion of women seeking induced abortion in the Calgary census metropolitan area were immigrants.
  
  
  METHODS
  For 2 months, eligible women were asked to complete a questionnaire. Women who refused were asked to provide their country of birth (COB) to assess for selection bias.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two abortion clinics in Calgary, Alta.
  
  
  METHODS
  Women presenting at or less than 15 weeks' gestational age for induced abortion for maternal indications.
  
  
  METHODS
  The primary outcome was the proportion of women seeking induced abortion services who were immigrants. Secondary outcomes compared socioeconomic characteristics and contraception use between immigrant and Canadian-born women.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 752 women either completed a questionnaire (78.6%) or provided their COB (21.4%). Overall, 28.9% of women living in the Calgary census metropolitan area who completed the questionnaire were immigrants, less than the 31.2% background proportion of immigrant women of childbearing age. However, 46.0% of women who provided only COB were immigrants. When these data were combined, 34.2% of women presenting for induced abortion identified as immigrant, a proportion not significantly different from the background proportion (P = .127). Immigrant women presenting for induced abortion tended to be older, more educated, married with children, and have increased parity. They were similar to Canadian-born women in number of previous abortions, income status, and employment status.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study suggests that immigrant women in Calgary are not presenting for induced abortion in disproportionately higher numbers, which differs from existing European literature. This is likely owing to differing socioeconomic characteristics among the immigrant women in our study from what have been previously described in the literature (typically lower socioeconomic status). Much still needs to be explored with regard to factors influencing the use of abortion services by immigrant women.
authors.affiliation: Third-year resident, both in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Calgary in Alberta.
authors.forename: Beatrice du
authors.initials: Bd
authors.lastname: Prey
authors.affiliation: Family physician, both in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Calgary in Alberta. rachel.talavlikar@ucalgary.ca.
authors.forename: Rachel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Talavlikar
authors.affiliation: Medical Director and Founder of the Northeast Calgary Women's Clinic.
authors.forename: Rupinder
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mangat
authors.affiliation: Doctoral candidate in the Department of Community Health Science at the University of Calgary.
authors.forename: Elizabeth A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Freiheit
authors.affiliation: Professor and holds the Capital Health Chair in Primary Care Research in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Alberta in Edmonton.
authors.forename: Neil
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Drummond
mesh_terms: D000028:Abortion, Induced / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000328:Adult; D002170:Canada; D003267:Contraception / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D044382:Population Groups / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011247:Pregnancy; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires