Housing conditions and adverse birth outcomes among Indigenous people in Canada

Poor housing conditions and household crowding have been identified as important health concerns for Indigenous populations in many countries but have not been explored in relation to adverse birth outcomes in these populations. We investigated housing conditions and adverse birth outcomes in a nationally representative sample of Indigenous people in Canada.

Data were from a cohort of births between May 2004 and May 2006 created by linking birth and infant death registration data with the 2006 Canadian census. Log-binomial regression was used to examine associations between housing variables (persons per room and needed household repairs) and three adverse birth outcomes: preterm birth (PTB), small-for-gestational-age (SGA) birth, and infant mortality. Separate regression models were run for First Nations, Métis and Inuit mothers, with adjustment for parity and parental socio-economic variables.

Need for major household repairs was associated with a slightly increased risk of PTB among First Nations and Métis mothers (adjusted RRs 1.12 and 1.13, respectively; 95% CI 0.94-1.34 and 0.89-1.44, respectively) and a moderately increased risk of infant death in all three groups (aRR = 1.69, 95% CI 1.00-2.85). Household crowding was also associated with a slightly elevated risk of PTB in all three groups (aRR = 1.10, 95% CI 0.95-1.29) and with an increased risk of infant mortality among First Nations (aRR = 1.57, 95% CI 0.97-2.53).

This study highlights the need to improve understanding of links between housing conditions and perinatal health outcomes in Indigenous populations, including examining cause-specific infant mortality in relation to housing characteristics.