PRETERM BIRTH AND LOW-BIRTH-WEIGHT AMONG CHILDREN OF SWEDISH AND IMMIGRANT WOMEN BETWEEN 1978 AND 1990

The aim of the study was to estimate the occurrence of low birthweight (LBW) and preterm birth among immigrant and Swedish women in Sweden. Eligible for analysis were all 1 270 407 singleton births in Sweden be tween 1978 and 1990 to mothers aged between 15 and 44 years, whose own country of birth was known. The mothers of the children were born in Sweden (88.2%), or had immigrated from Finland (4.4%), other Scandinav ian countries (1.2%), Western Europe or North America (1.3%), Eastern Europe (1.8%), the Middle East and North Africa (1.7%), Central and So uth America (0.6%), Asia and the Pacific Islands (0.6%), or Sub-Sahara n Africa (0.2%). Multiple logistic regression was used to model LBW an d preterm birth categorical outcomes. Each immigrant group was compare d with the Swedish group. Odds ratios (ORs) for LBW were 1.13 (95% CI 1.04, 1.22) for Asia and the Pacific Islands, 1.21 (1.05, 1.38) for Su b-Saharan Africa and 0.89 (0.86-0.93) for Finland. Odds ratios for pre term birth were 1.15 (1.08-1.23) for immigrants from Asia and the Paci fic Islands and 1.08 (1.04, 1.13) for immigrants from Eastern Europe. Remarkably small differences were found between immigrant women and na tive Swedish women.