Psychosocial and behavioral health indicators among immigrant and non-immigrant recent mothers.

BACKGROUND: Perinatal risk factors can vary by immigration status. We examined psychosocial and behavioral perinatal health indicators according to immigration status and immigrant characteristics. METHODS: We conducted a population-based cross-sectional study of 33,754 immigrant and 172,342 non-immigrant childbearing women residents in Manitoba, Canada, aged 15-55 years, who had a live birth and available data from the universal newborn screen completed within 2 weeks postpartum, between January 2000 and December 2017. Immigration characteristics were from the Canadian federal government immigration database. Logistic regressions models were used to obtain Odds Ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the associations between immigration characteristics and perinatal health indicators, such as social isolation, relationship distress, partner violence, depression, alcohol, smoking, substance use, and late initiation of prenatal care. RESULTS: More immigrant women reported being socially isolated (12.3%) than non-immigrants (3.0%) (Adjusted Odds Ratio (aOR): 6.95, 95% CI: 6.57 to 7.36) but exhibited lower odds of depression, relationship distress, partner violence, smoking, alcohol, substance use, and late initiation of prenatal care. In analyses restricted to immigrants, recent immigrants (< 5 years) had higher odds of being socially isolated (aOR: 9.04, 95% CI: 7.48 to 10.94) and late initiation of prenatal care (aOR: 1.50, 95% CI: 1.07 to 2.12) compared to long-term immigrants (10 years or more) but lower odds of relationship distress, depression, alcohol, smoking and substance use. Refugee status was positively associated with relationship distress, depression, and late initiation of prenatal care. Secondary immigrants, whose last country of permanent residence differed from their country of birth, had lower odds of social isolation, relationship distress, and smoking than primary migrants. There were also differences by maternal region of birth. CONCLUSION: Immigrant childbearing women had a higher prevalence of social isolation but a lower prevalence of other psychosocial and behavioral perinatal health indicators than non-immigrants. Health care providers may consider the observed heterogeneity in risk to tailor care approaches for immigrant subgroups at higher risk, such as refugees, recent immigrants, and those from certain world regions.

Reproductive health among married and unmarried mothers aged less than 18, 18-19, and 20-24 years in the United States, 2014-2019: A population-based cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Studies in low- and middle-income regions suggest that child marriage (<18 years) is a risk factor for poor reproductive outcomes among women. However, in high-income-country contexts where childbearing before age 18 occurs predominantly outside marriage, it is unknown whether marriage is adversely associated with reproductive health among mothers below age 18. This study examined the joint associations of marriage and adolescent maternal age group (<18, 18-19, and 20-24 years) with reproductive, maternal, and infant health indicators in the United States. METHODS AND FINDINGS: Birth registrations with US resident mothers aged ≤24 years with complete information on marital status were drawn from the 2014 to 2019 Natality Public Use Files (n = 5,669,824). Odds ratios for the interaction between marital status and maternal age group were estimated using multivariable logistic regression, adjusting for covariates such as maternal race/ethnicity and nativity status, federal program participation, and paternal age. Marriage prevalence was 3.6%, 13.2%, and 34.1% among births to mothers aged <18, 18-19, and 20-24 years, respectively. Age gradients in the adjusted odds ratios (AORs) were present for most indicators, and many gradients differed by marital status. Among births to mothers aged <18 years, marriage was associated with greater adjusted odds of prior pregnancy termination (AOR 1.64, 95% CI 1.52-1.77, p < 0.001), repeat birth (AOR 2.84, 95% CI 2.68-3.00, p < 0.001), maternal smoking (AOR 1.24, 95% CI 1.15-1.35, p < 0.001), and infant morbidity (AOR 1.07, 95% CI 1.01-1.14, p = 0.03), but weaker or reverse associations existed among births to older mothers. For all maternal age groups, marriage was associated with lower adjusted odds of late or no prenatal care initiation, sexually transmitted infection, and no breastfeeding at hospital discharge, but these beneficial associations were weaker among births to mothers aged <18 and 18-19 years. Limitations of the study include its cross-sectional nature and lack of information on marriage timing relative to prior pregnancy events. CONCLUSIONS: Marriage among mothers below age 18 is associated with both adverse and favorable reproductive, maternal, and infant health indicators. Heterogeneity exists in the relationship between marriage and reproductive health across adolescent maternal age groups, suggesting girl child marriages must be examined separately from marriages at older ages.

Changes in health indicator gaps between First Nations and other residents of Manitoba.

BACKGROUND: The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada has called for better reporting of health disparities between First Nations people and other Canadians to close gaps in health outcomes. We sought to evaluate changes in these disparities using indicators of health and health care use over the last 2 decades. METHODS: We used linked, whole-population, administrative claims data from the Manitoba Centre for Health Policy for fiscal years 1994/95 to 1998/99 and 2012/13 to 2016/17. We measured indicators of health and health care use among registered First Nations and all other Manitobans, and compared differences between these groups over the 2 time periods. RESULTS: Over time, the relative gap between First Nations and all other Manitobans widened by 51% (95% confidence interval [CI] 42% to 60%) for premature mortality rate. For potential years of life lost, the gap widened by 54% (95% CI 51% to 57%) among women and by 32% (95% CI 30% to 35%) among men. The absolute gap in life expectancy widened by 3.14 years (95% CI 2.92 to 3.36) among men and 3.61 years (95% CI 3.38 to 3.84) among women. Relative gaps widened by 20% (95% CI 12% to 27%) for ambulatory specialist visits, by 14% (95% CI 12% to 16%) for hospital separations and by 50% (95% CI 39% to 62%) for days spent in hospital, but narrowed by 33% (95% CI -36% to -30%) for ambulatory primary care visits, by 22% (95% CI -27% to -16%) for mammography and by 27% (95% CI -40% to -23%) for injury hospitalizations. INTERPRETATION: Disparities between First Nations and all other Manitobans in many key indicators of health and health care use have grown larger over time. New approaches are needed to address these disparities and promote better health with and for First Nations.

Smoking During Pregnancy Among Immigrant Women With Same-Origin and Swedish-Born Partners.

INTRODUCTION: Although ethnically mixed couples are on the rise in industrialized countries, their health behaviors are poorly understood. We examined the associations between partner's birthplace, age at immigration, and smoking during pregnancy among foreign-born women. METHODS: Population-based register study including all pregnancies resulting in a livebirth or stillbirth in Sweden (1991-2012) with complete information on smoking and parental country of birth. We compared the prevalence of smoking during pregnancy between women in dual same-origin foreign-born unions (n = 213 111) and in mixed couples (immigrant women with a Swedish-born partner) (n = 111 866) using logistic regression. Swedish-born couples were used as a benchmark. RESULTS: The crude smoking rate among Swedish women whose partners were Swedish was 11%. Smoking rates of women in dual same-origin foreign-born unions varied substantially by birthplace, from 1.3% among women from Asian countries to 23.2% among those from other Nordic countries. Among immigrant groups with prevalences of pregnancy smoking higher than that of women in dual Swedish-born unions, having a Swedish-born partner was associated with lower odds of smoking (adjusted odds ratios: 0.72-0.87) but with higher odds among immigrant groups with lower prevalence (adjusted odds ratios: 1.17-5.88). These associations were stronger among women immigrating in adulthood, whose smoking rates were the lowest. CONCLUSIONS: Swedish-born partners "pull" smoking rates of immigrant women toward the level of smoking of Swedish-born women, particularly among women arrived during adulthood. Consideration of a woman's and her partner's ethnic background and life stage at migration may help understand smoking patterns of immigrant women. IMPLICATIONS: We found that having a Swedish-born partner is associated with higher rates of smoking during pregnancy among immigrants from regions where women smoke less than Swedish women, but with lower smoking rates among immigrants from regions where women smoke more. This implies that prevention efforts should concentrate on newly arrived single women from low prevalence regions, such as Africa and Asia, whereas cessation efforts may target women from high prevalence regions, such as other European countries. These findings suggest that pregnancy smoking prevention or cessation interventions may benefit from including partners and approaches culturally tailored to mixed unions.

Vinculación de datos administrativos y su utilidad en salud pública: el caso de Ecuador / Administrative data linkage and its usefulness in public health: the case of Ecuador / Vinculação de dados administrativos e sua utilização em saúde pública: o caso do Equador

RESUMEN Los objetivos de este artículo son describir las características del abordaje de vinculación de bases de datos administrativos y sus usos en investigación en salud pública, y discutir las potencialidades y retos para su implementación en Ecuador. La vinculación de bases de datos permite integrar datos de una misma persona dispersos en distintos subsectores como salud, educación, justicia, inmigración y programas sociales, y posibilita investigaciones que informen una gestión más eficiente de programas y políticas sociales y de salud. Las principales ventajas del uso de bases de datos relacionadas son la diversidad de datos, la cobertura poblacional, la estabilidad temporal y el costo menor en comparación con la recolección de datos primarios. A pesar de la disponibilidad de herramientas para procesar, vincular y analizar grandes conjuntos de datos, el uso de este abordaje es mínimo en los países de América Latina. Ecuador tiene un alto potencial para explotar este abordaje, debido a la obligatoriedad del uso de un identificador único en la prestación de servicios de salud, que permite la vinculación con otros sistemas de información nacionales. Sin embargo, enfrenta una serie de retos técnicos, ético-legales, culturales y políticos. Para aprovechar su potencial, Ecuador necesita desarrollar una estrategia de gobernanza de datos que incluya normativas de acceso y uso de los datos, de manera simultánea con mecanismos de control y calidad de los datos, una mayor inversión en formación profesional en el uso de los datos dentro y fuera del sector salud, y colaboraciones entre entidades gubernamentales, universidades y organizaciones de la sociedad civil.

ABSTRACT The objective of this article is to describe the characteristics of addressing the linkage of administrative databases and the uses of such linkages in public health research, and also to discuss the opportunities and challenges for implementation in Ecuador. The linkage of databases makes it possible to integrate a person's data that may be scattered across different subsectors such as health, education, justice, immigration, and social programs. It also facilitates research that can inform more efficient management of social and health programs and policies. The main advantages of using linked databases are: diversity of data, population coverage, stability over time, and lower cost in comparison to primary data collection. Despite the availability of tools to process, link, and analyze large data sets, there has been minimal use of this approach in Latin American countries. Ecuador is well positioned to implement this approach, due to compulsory use of a unique ID in health services delivery, which permits linkages with other national information systems. However, the country faces several cultural, technical, ethical, legal, and political challenges. To take advantage of its potential, Ecuador needs to develop a data governance strategy that includes standards for data access and data use, as well as mechanisms for data control and quality, greater investment in professional training in data use both within and beyond the health sector, and collaborations between government entities, universities, and civil society organizations.

RESUMO Os objetivos deste artigo são descrever as características do método de vinculação de bancos de dados administrativos e sua utilização em pesquisa em saúde pública e examinar o potencial e os desafios para sua implementação no Equador. A vinculação de bancos de dados possibilita integrar dados de uma mesma pessoa dispersos em subsetores diversos como saúde, educação, justiça, imigração e programas sociais e realizar pesquisas para subsidiar a gestão mais eficiente de programas e políticas sociais e de saúde. Entre as principais vantagens de utilizar bancos de dados vinculados estão diversidade dos dados, cobertura populacional, estabilidade temporal e custo menor em comparação à coleta de dados primários. Apesar de existirem ferramentas para processar, vincular e analisar grandes conjuntos de dados, a utilização deste método é mínima nos países da América Latina. O Equador possui um grande potencial para beneficiar-se com este método devido à obrigatoriedade do uso de um identificador único na prestação de serviços de saúde, o que permite a vinculação com outros sistemas de informação nacionais, mas enfrenta uma série de desafios técnicos, éticos-legais, culturais e políticos. Para aproveitá-lo, o país precisa elaborar uma estratégia de governança de dados contendo um conjunto de normas para o acesso e a utilização simultâneos com mecanismos de controle e qualidade dos dados, maior investimento em formação profissional no uso dos dados dentro e fora da área da saúde e colaboração entre entidades governamentais, universidades e organizações da sociedade civil.

Food Insecurity Is Associated With Higher Health Care Use And Costs Among Canadian Adults.

Food insecurity predicts poorer health, yet how it relates to health care use and costs in Canada remains understudied. Linking data from the Canadian Community Health Survey to hospital records and health care expenditure data, we examined the association of food insecurity with acute care hospitalization, same-day surgery, and acute care costs among Canadian adults, adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics. Compared with fully food-secure adults, marginally, moderately, and severely food-insecure adults presented 26 percent, 41 percent, and 69 percent higher odds of acute care admission and 15 percent, 15 percent, and 24 percent higher odds of having same-day surgery, respectively. Conditional on acute care admission, food-insecure adults stayed from 1.48 to 2.08 more days in the hospital and incurred $400-$565 more per person-year in acute care costs than their food-secure counterparts, with this excess cost representing 4.4 percent of total acute care costs. Programs reducing food insecurity, such as child benefits and public pensions, and policies enhancing access to outpatient care may lower health care use and costs.

Association between household food insecurity and mortality in Canada: a population-based retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Food insecurity affects 1 in 8 households in Canada, with serious health consequences. We investigated the association between household food insecurity and all-cause and cause-specific mortality. METHODS: We assessed the food insecurity status of Canadian adults using the Canadian Community Health Survey 2005-2017 and identified premature deaths among the survey respondents using the Canadian Vital Statistics Database 2005-2017. Applying Cox survival analyses to the linked data sets, we compared adults' all-cause and cause-specific mortality hazard by their household food insecurity status. RESULTS: Of the 510 010 adults sampled (3 390 500 person-years), 25 460 died prematurely by 2017. Death rates of food-secure adults and their counterparts experiencing marginal, moderate and severe food insecurity were 736, 752, 834 and 1124 per 100 000 person-years, respectively. The adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) of all-cause premature mortality for marginal, moderate and severe food insecurity were 1.10 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.03-1.18), 1.11 (95% CI 1.05-1.18) and 1.37 (95% CI 1.27-1.47), respectively. Among adults who died prematurely, those experiencing severe food insecurity died on average 9 years earlier than their food-secure counterparts (age 59.5 v. 68.9 yr). Severe food insecurity was consistently associated with higher mortality across all causes of death except cancers; the association was particularly pronounced for infectious-parasitic diseases (adjusted HR 2.24, 95% CI 1.42-3.55), unintentional injuries (adjusted HR 2.69, 95% CI 2.04-3.56) and suicides (adjusted HR 2.21, 95% CI 1.50-3.24). INTERPRETATION: Canadian adults from food-insecure households were more likely to die prematurely than their food-secure counterparts. Efforts to reduce premature mortality should consider food insecurity as a relevant social determinant.

Risk of cerebral palsy among the offspring of immigrants.

BACKGROUND: Cerebral palsy (CP) has a multifactorial etiology, and placental vascular disease may be one major risk factor. The risk of placental vascular disease may be lower among some immigrant groups. We studied the association between immigrant status and the risk of CP. METHODS: We conducted a population-based retrospective cohort study of all singleton and twin livebirths in Ontario between 2002-2008, and who survived ≥28 days after birth. Each child was assessed for CP up to age 4 years, based on either a single inpatient or ≥2 outpatient pediatric diagnoses of CP. Relative to non-immigrants (n = 566,668), the risk of CP was assessed for all immigrants (n = 177,390), and further evaluated by World region of origin. Cox proportional hazard ratios (aHR) were adjusted for maternal age, income, diabetes mellitus, obesity, tobacco use, Caesarean delivery, year of delivery, physician visits, twin pregnancy, preterm delivery, as well as small- and large-for-gestational age birthweight. RESULTS: There were 1346 cases of CP, with a lower rate among immigrants (1.45 per 1000) than non-immigrants (1.92 per 1000) (aHR 0.77, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.67 to 0.88). Mothers from East Asia and the Pacific (aHR 0.54, 95% CI 0.39 to 0.77) and the Caribbean (aHR 0.58, 95% CI 0.37 to 0.93) were at a significantly lower risk of having a child with CP. Whether further adjusting for preeclampsia, gestational hypertension, placental abruption or placental infraction, or upon using a competing risk analysis that further accounted for stillbirth and neonatal death, these results did not change. CONCLUSIONS: Immigration and ethnicity appear to attenuate the risk of CP, and this effect is not fully explained by known risk factors.

Smoking during pregnancy among immigrants to Sweden, 1992-2008: the effects of secular trends and time since migration.

BACKGROUND: Smoking during pregnancy has been declining in the past decades in high-income countries, including Sweden. Paradoxically, increasing trends associated with duration of residence have been reported among immigrants. We aimed to clarify how these two contrasting trends have shaped smoking patterns among immigrants. METHODS: We conducted a population-based study of 1 598 433 pregnancies in Sweden in the period 1992-2008. We used multinomial logistic regression to estimate the odds of mild and heavy smoking relative to no smoking associated with year of delivery, years since migration, maternal region of birth and their interaction, after controlling for potential confounders. RESULTS: The prevalence of smoking decreased for the Swedish-born and for immigrants during the study period. Among immigrants, duration of residence was independently associated with increases in smoking and varied according to maternal region of birth (P-value for interaction <0.001). The odds ratio associated with a 10-year increase in duration of residence was weakest for mild smoking among former Yugoslav women (adjusted odds ratio; 95% confidence interval: 1.10; 1.04-1.17) and those from other Nordic countries (1.22; 1.17-1.26) and strongest for heavy smoking among East African (4.46; 3.23-6.16) and sub-Saharan African (3.56; 2.68-4.72) women. The association between duration of residence and smoking was attenuated after stratifying by cohorts of arrival among European but not among non-European immigrants. CONCLUSIONS: Declines in smoking during pregnancy among immigrants from various regions of the world were differentially affected by opposite increasing trends throughout their residence in Sweden.

Assessment tool for total laparoscopic hysterectomy: a Delphi consensus survey among international experts.

OBJECTIVE:  To achieve consensus among experts on the essentials steps to include in an assessment tool for total laparoscopic hysterectomy.  METHODS:  Using a Delphi consensus process, an initial survey was created based on the current literature and local expertise in laparoscopic surgery and sent to international experts in laparoscopic gynaecology. Experts were selected according to specific criteria. A second survey was formulated based on the answers and comments from the first round and sent to all experts who participated in the first round. Consensus was defined as a Cronbach alpha ≥ 0.80. A rate of agreement ≥ 0.70 was used to define which substeps to keep in the final tool. RESULTS:  From the 85 experts invited to participate, 53 (62%) agreed to participate, and 51 of these participated in both rounds. The final instrument to assess total laparoscopic hysterectomy was created using the items with a high level of agreement after two rounds. This final tool showed good internal consistency among the experts, with a Cronbach alpha of 0.90. CONCLUSION:  Using a Delphi methodology, we achieved international consensus among experts in laparoscopic gynaecology within a short time frame and with minimal costs. The resulting evaluation tool for total laparoscopic hysterectomy may serve in the assessment of surgical skills in the future, and would be a valuable adjunct to postgraduate training and continuing medical education programs. This tool will now undergo a validation process, comparing the rating scores of novices and experts surgeons.

Objectif : Parvenir à un consensus parmi les spécialistes quant aux étapes essentielles devant être incluses dans un outil d'évaluation pour ce qui est de l'hystérectomie laparoscopique totale. Méthodes : En utilisant un processus de consensus Delphi, nous avons créé un sondage initial fondé sur la littérature actuelle et l'expertise locale en matière de chirurgie laparoscopique, puis nous l'avons fait parvenir à des spécialistes internationaux du domaine de la gynécologie laparoscopique. Ces spécialistes ont été sélectionnés en fonction de critères particuliers. Nous avons formulé un deuxième sondage, en fonction des réponses et des commentaires issus de la mise en œuvre du premier sondage, et l'avons ensuite fait parvenir à tous les spécialistes qui avaient participé au premier sondage. Le consensus a été défini comme étant un coefficient alpha de Cronbach ≥ 0,80. Un taux d'agrément ≥ 0,70 a été utilisé pour identifier les sous-étapes devant faire partie de l'outil final. Résultats : Des 85 spécialistes dont nous avons sollicité la participation, 53 (62 %) ont accepté l'invitation et 51 d'entre eux ont participé aux deux rondes de sondage. L'instrument final permettant d'évaluer l'hystérectomie laparoscopique totale a été créé au moyen des rubriques s'étant méritées un taux élevé d'accord après les deux rondes de sondage. Cet outil final comptait une bonne cohérence interne parmi les spécialistes (coefficient alpha de Cronbach de 0,90). Conclusion : En ayant recours à la méthodologie Delphi, nous sommes parvenus (dans un court délai et en n'occasionnant que des coûts minimes) à un consensus international parmi les spécialistes du domaine de la gynécologie laparoscopique. L'outil d'évaluation de l'hystérectomie laparoscopique totale qui est issu de ce consensus pourrait servir dans le cadre de l'évaluation des compétences chirurgicales à l'avenir et constituer un appoint utile à la formation de cycle supérieur et aux programmes de formation médicale continue. Cet outil sera maintenant soumis à un processus de validation (comparaison des scores qu'obtiendront des chirurgiens débutants à ceux qu'obtiendront des chirurgiens de pointe).

Visceral adiposity in the first half of pregnancy predicts newborn weight among adolescent mothers.

OBJECTIVE: Maternal obesity is a strong risk factor for gestational diabetes mellitus and fetal macrosomia. We assessed the association between maternal visceral adiposity tissue (VAT) depth in the first half of pregnancy and both glucose tolerance in late pregnancy and newborn weight in pregnant adolescents. METHODS: We completed a prospective cohort study of 73 pregnant adolescents aged 10 to 19 years, without pre-pregnancy diabetes. VAT depth was measured by ultrasound at 12 to 20 weeks' gestation, followed by a two-hour 75-g oral glucose tolerance test at 36 to 39 weeks' gestation, to determine the glucose area under the curve (AUC glucose0-120). The association between VAT depth and newborn weight was evaluated by multiple linear regression analysis, controlling for maternal age, parity, smoking, gestational age at delivery, infant sex, pre-pregnancy BMI, weight gain in pregnancy, and fasting serum glucose at 36 to 39 weeks' gestation. The relation between VAT depth and AUC glucose0-120 was assessed by linear regression analysis, adjusting for maternal age, parity, smoking, pre-pregnancy BMI, and weight gain in pregnancy. RESULTS: A 1 cm increase in VAT depth was associated with a 206 g (95% CI 101 to 311) adjusted increase in mean birth weight. VAT depth and the other model covariates together explained more of the variance in birth weight (r(2) = 0.282; P < 0.001) than pre-pregnancy BMI with the other covariates in the same model (r(2) = 0.081; P = 0.076). All three glucose tolerance test measures were performed at 36 to 39 weeks' gestation in 51 of the 73 participants. The relationship between VAT depth and AUC glucose0-120 was not significant (P = 0.43). CONCLUSION: VAT depth in the first half of pregnancy predicts newborn weight better than BMI, but is not associated with glucose tolerance in late pregnancy.

Objectif : L'obésité maternelle constitue un solide facteur de risque en ce qui concerne le diabète sucré gestationnel et la macrosomie fœtale. Nous avons évalué, chez des adolescentes enceintes, l'association entre, d'une part, la profondeur du tissu adipeux viscéral (TAV) maternel au cours de la première moitié de la grossesse et, d'autre part, la tolérance au glucose aux derniers moments de la grossesse et le poids du nouveau-né. Méthodes : Nous avons mené une étude de cohorte prospective auprès de 73 adolescentes enceintes âgées de 10 à 19 ans qui ne présentaient pas un diabète prégrossesse. La profondeur du TAV a été mesurée par échographie à 12 - 20 semaines de gestation; par la suite, nous avons mené une épreuve d'hyperglycémie provoquée par voie orale (deux heures, 75 g) à 36 - 39 semaines de gestation, en vue de déterminer la surface sous la courbe du glucose (SSC glucose0­120). L'association entre la profondeur du TAV et le poids du nouveau-né a été évaluée au moyen d'une analyse de régression linéaire multiple, en neutralisant l'effet de l'âge maternel, de la parité, du tabagisme, de l'âge gestationnel au moment de l'accouchement, du sexe du nouveau-né, de l'IMC prégrossesse, du gain pondéral pendant la grossesse et de la glycémie à jeun à 36 - 39 semaines de gestation. La relation entre la profondeur du TAV et la SSC glucose0­120 a été évaluée au moyen d'une analyse de régression linéaire, en neutralisant l'effet de l'âge maternel, de la parité, du tabagisme, de l'IMC prégrossesse et du gain pondéral pendant la grossesse. Résultats : L'augmentation de la profondeur du TAV d'un centimètre a été associée à une hausse corrigée du poids moyen de naissance de 206 g (IC à 95 %, 101 - 311). La profondeur du TAV (prise en considération conjointement avec les autres covariables du modèle) a mieux permis d'expliquer la variance du poids de naissance (r2 = 0,282; P < 0,001) que l'IMC prégrossesse (prise en considération conjointement avec les autres covariables du même modèle) (r2 = 0,081; P = 0,076). Les trois épreuves d'hyperglycémie ont été menées à 36 - 39 semaines de gestation chez 51 des 73 participantes. La relation entre la profondeur du TAV et la SSC glucose0­120 ne s'est pas révélée être significative (P = 0,43). Conclusion : Bien que la profondeur du TAV au cours de la première moitié de la grossesse permette de mieux prédire le poids du nouveau-né que l'IMC, elle n'est pas associée à la tolérance au glucose aux derniers moments de la grossesse.

Revisiting the immigrant paradox in reproductive health: the roles of duration of residence and ethnicity.

The immigrant paradox refers to the contrasting observations that immigrants usually experience similar or better health outcomes than the native-born population despite socioeconomic disadvantage and barriers to health care use. This paradox, however, has not been examined simultaneously in relation to varying degrees of exposure to the receiving society and across multiple outcomes and risk factors. To advance knowledge on these issues, we analysed data of the Maternity Experiences Survey, a nationally representative cross-sectional survey of 6421 Canadian women who delivered singleton infants in 2006-07. We compared the prevalence of adverse pregnancy outcomes and related risk factors according to women's ethnicity and time since migration to Canada. We calculated prevalences and prevalence ratios (PR) with 95% confidence intervals. Compared to Canadian-born women of European descent, recent immigrants were at lower risk of preterm delivery and morbidity during pregnancy despite having the highest prevalence of low income and low support during pregnancy among all groups, but the paradox was not observed among immigrants with a longer stay in Canada. In contrast, recent immigrants were at higher risk of postpartum depression. Immigrants of non-European origin also had higher prevalence of postpartum depression, irrespective of their length of residence in Canada, but immigrants from European-origin countries did not. Exposure to Canada was also positively associated with higher alcohol and tobacco consumption and body mass index. Canadian-born women of non-European descent were at higher risk of preterm birth and hospitalisation during pregnancy than their European-origin counterparts. Our findings suggest that the healthy migrant hypothesis and the immigrant paradox have limited generalisability. These hypotheses may be better conceptualised as outcome-specific and dependent on immigrants' ethnicity and length of stay in the receiving country.

Major radiodiagnostic imaging in pregnancy and the risk of childhood malignancy: a population-based cohort study in Ontario.

BACKGROUND: The association between fetal exposure to major radiodiagnostic testing in pregnancy-computed tomography (CT) and radionuclide imaging-and the risk of childhood cancer is not established. METHODS AND FINDINGS: We completed a population-based study of 1.8 million maternal-child pairs in the province of Ontario, from 1991 to 2008. We used Ontario's universal health care-linked administrative databases to identify all term obstetrical deliveries and newborn records, inpatient and outpatient major radiodiagnostic services, as well as all children with a malignancy after birth. There were 5,590 mothers exposed to major radiodiagnostic testing in pregnancy (3.0 per 1,000) and 1,829,927 mothers not exposed. The rate of radiodiagnostic testing increased from 1.1 to 6.3 per 1,000 pregnancies over the study period; about 73% of tests were CT scans. After a median duration of follow-up of 8.9 years, four childhood cancers arose in the exposed group (1.13 per 10,000 person-years) and 2,539 cancers in the unexposed group (1.56 per 10,000 person-years), a crude hazard ratio of 0.69 (95% confidence interval 0.26-1.82). After adjusting for maternal age, income quintile, urban status, and maternal cancer, as well as infant sex, chromosomal or congenital anomalies, and major radiodiagnostic test exposure after birth, the risk was essentially unchanged (hazard ratio 0.68, 95% confidence interval 0.25-1.80). CONCLUSIONS: Although major radiodiagnostic testing is now performed in about 1 in 160 pregnancies in Ontario, the absolute annual risk of childhood malignancy following exposure in utero remains about 1 in 10,000. Since the upper confidence limit of the relative risk of malignancy may be as high as 1.8 times that of an unexposed pregnancy, we cannot exclude the possibility that fetal exposure to CT or radionuclide imaging is carcinogenic.