OBSTETRIC OUTCOMES AND INFANT BIRTH-WEIGHTS FOR VIETNAMESE-BORN AND AUSTRALIAN-BORN WOMEN IN SOUTHWESTERN SYDNEY

The southwestern Sydney area has the highest population of Vietnamese immigrants in New South Wales. The purpose of this study was to identi fy differences in obstetric outcomes and birthweights of infants of Vi etnamese-born women and Australian-born women in southwestern Sydney d uring 1991. There was a higher incidence of gestational diabetes and a lower incidence of pre-eclampsia in Vietnamese-born women. The rate o f induction of labour for Australian-born women (23.7 per cent) was al most double the rate for Vietnamese-born women (12.9 per cent). Birthw eights of infants of Vietnamese-born women were significantly lower at the 10th, 50th and 90th percentile. The use of racially appropriate g rowth charts will reduce overdiagnosis of growth-restricted infants an d therefore unnecessary treatment. These findings highlight the need t o take ethnic differences into account when planning health care.