Infants of immigrant parents in Italy - A national multicentre case control study

Background. The aim of this study was to evaluate health state of newborns of immigrated parents from developing countries. Methods. Hospital records of 69,605 infants born during 1996/1997 in Italy were reviewed comparing, in a case-control study, each infant of immigrated parents to two infants born immediately before and after to Italian parent s. Results. Of the 69,605 newborns 3906 (5.6%) were born to immigrated parents . This prevalence prolongs the increasing trend observed during the last 10 years of infants born to immigrated parents and reduces the fall of the bi rth rate linked to the few infants born to Italian parents. It was influenc ed by geographical factors, being higher in Northen-Central Italy (7%) than in Southern and Insular Italy (2.8%), as consequence of more elevated inco mes in these Italian regions. The origin countries of immigrated parents we re mainly Northern Africa (31.7%), Eastern Europe (18%) and Sub Saharian Af rica (11.6%). Infants of immigrated parents showed higher incidences of pre maturity, low birth weight, asphixia and neonatal mortality rate than newbo rns with Italian parents. These higher incidences appeared related to some risk factors such as higher parity, short gestational age, some maternal in fections, maternal drug dependence, maternal age less than 18 years, low fa miliar income, inadequate obstetric cares, difficulty to accessing the publ ic health services. Conclusions. The health problems of infants with immigrated parents are mai nly related to social disadvantage and can be overcome improving the social state, the lifestyles and the obstetric cares of the immigrated women, so as monitoring their risk pregnancies.