MATERNAL COUNTRY-OF-ORIGIN AND INFANT BIRTHPLACE - IMPLICATIONS FOR BIRTH-WEIGHT

This study investigated the effect of mother's country of origin and b aby's birthplace on infant birth-weight. The mean birth-weights of ful l-term babies born of well immigrant women from 5 countries were compa red with those of women of Anglo-Australian origin confined at the sam e hospital. Data were collected from medical records tit Canterbury ho spital for 1,274 women confined between 1989 and 1992 and 2,524 of the ir babies. Multiple regression analysis showed that infants burn in Au stralia to women from Vietnam and Korea were significantly heavier tha n infants born to these women in their country of origin. Babies born to women from Vietnam were significantly lighter than babies born to A nglo-Australian controls.