PERINATAL-MORTALITY IN A FIRST GENERATION IMMIGRANT POPULATION AND ITS RELATION TO UNEMPLOYMENT IN THE NETHERLANDS

Study objective - To consider the association between biological and s ocial risk factors and perinatal mortality in an ethnically mixed popu lation in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Design - This was a matched case -control study. Cases included all registered stillborn infants and al l registered liveborn infants who died within seven days of birth. Con trols were selected from infants remaining alive. Each case was matche d with two controls by date of registration. Setting - Civil registry of births and deaths, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 1975-80. Patients - All 666 babies who died in the perinatal period and 1332 controls sele cted from the Liveborn survivors. Outcome - Perinatal mortality. Main Results - Perinatal mortality was independently associated with the fa ther's and mother's employment status, maternal age, parity, and infan t sex, but not with the father's or mother's country of birth. Conclus ions - Employment status and not country of birth should be the main f ocus in studies of perinatal mortality in this population of mixed eth nicity. Future studies on selected behavioural, socioeconomic, and cul tural factors are needed to provide a better understanding of the caus es of increased perinatal mortality among families in which the parent s are unemployed.