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Prevalence of selected birth defects by maternal nativity status, United States, 1999-2007

Russell S Kirby1, Cara T Mai2, Martha S Wingate3

  • 1Department of Community and Family Health, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida.

Birth Defects Research
|March 29, 2019
PubMed

Insights

Birth defect prevalence differs by maternal nativity within racial/ethnic groups. Foreign-born mothers had higher rates of spina bifida and certain trisomies, but lower rates of other defects.

Area of Science:

  • Epidemiology
  • Public Health
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Maternal nativity is a factor influencing birth outcomes.
  • Understanding disparities in birth defect prevalence is crucial for public health initiatives.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate variations in major birth defect prevalence based on maternal nativity across different racial/ethnic groups.
  • To identify specific birth defects with altered prevalence associated with maternal birthplace.

Main Methods:

  • Pooled data from 11 U.S. population-based birth defect surveillance systems (1999-2007).
  • Analyzed nearly 13 million live births, calculating prevalence estimates by racial/ethnic groups.
  • Used Poisson regression to compute adjusted prevalence ratios (aPRs) comparing foreign-born to U.S.-born mothers.

Main Results:

  • Foreign-born mothers comprised approximately 20-26% of the study population.
  • Elevated aPRs were observed for spina bifida and trisomies 13, 18, and 21 in infants of foreign-born mothers.
  • Lower prevalence was noted for pyloric stenosis, gastroschisis, and hypospadias among infants of foreign-born mothers.

Conclusions:

  • Birth defect prevalence is influenced by maternal nativity within racial/ethnic strata.
  • Specific birth defects show increased or decreased prevalence linked to maternal birthplace.
  • Further research into maternal behaviors and characteristics is needed to interpret these findings.
Abstract

Keywords:
birth defectsepidemiologynativitypopulation healthrace/ethnicity

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