ETHNICITY AND OBSTETRIC PERFORMANCE IN SINGAPORE

The influence of ethnicity on obstetric performance in Singapore was a ssessed by retrospective analysis of all deliveries in the National Un iversity Hospital over a 7-year period. Malay mothers were younger, sh orter, less educated, of higher parity, were more likely to have had n o antenatal care, and had the highest incidence of premature labour. H owever, mothers of Indian origin had the smallest babies, the highest incidence of low birth weight and significantly higher perinatal morta lity rates. Chinese mothers fared better than their Malay and Indian c ounterparts in all parameters assessed. The ethnic origin of the mothe r has an important bearing on perinatal performance. This emphasises t he importance of designing appropriate strategies to improve perinatal health in the different ethnic groups.