CGPH FACULTY: Julia Walsh
DATE OF PUBLICATION: September 2015
REGION: Latin America
REFERENCE: Guendelman S, Thornton D, Perez-Cuevas R, Walsh J. Preterm delivery among first-time Mexico-born mothers: a binational population-based comparison of deliveries in California and Mexico. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2015 Jan;69(1):35-40. doi: 10.1136/jech-2014-204020. Epub 2014 Sep 10.
SUMMARY/ABSTRACT: While studies have attributed the favourable birth outcomes of Mexico-born mothers in the USA to a ‘healthy immigrant effect’ that confers protection to immigrants, a comparison of immigrants with the source population in Mexico has been lacking. We compared preterm delivery (PTD) rates of Mexico-born immigrants who delivered in California with Mexico-born women who delivered in Mexico (WIMX) and with a subgroup who delivered in the five top immigrant sending states in Mexico. We found no evidence of a ‘healthy immigrant effect’. Further research must assess the comparability of gestational-age data in Mexican and Californian birth certificates.
ACCESS: Link to Pubmed