Disparities and Trends in Birth Outcomes, Perinatal and Infant Mortality in Aboriginal vs. Non-Aboriginal Populations: A Population-Based Study in Quebec, Canada 1996–2010

• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0138562
• Publication Date: 2015-09-23T18:02:57Z
• Authors: Lu Chen; Lin Xiao; Nathalie Auger; Jill Torrie; Nancy Gros-Louis ...; Hamado Zoungrana; Zhong-Cheng Luo
• Keywords: Adult; Science; Q; R; Infant, Newborn; Parturition; Pregnancy Outcome; Quebec; 1. No poverty; Infant; 3. Good health; 03 medical and health sciences; 0302 clinical medicine; Pregnancy; Infant Mortality; Indians, North American; Odds Ratio; Medicine; Humans; Female; Perinatal Mortality; Research Article

Background Aboriginal populations are at substantially higher risks of adverse birth outcomes, perinatal and infant mortality than their non-Aboriginal counterparts even in developed countries including Australia, U.S. Canada. There is a lack data on recent trends Methods We conducted population-based retrospective cohort study (n = 254,410) using the linked vital events registry databases for singleton births Quebec 1996–2010. (First Nations, Inuit) were identified by mother tongue, place residence Indian Registration System membership. Outcomes included preterm birth, small-for-gestational-age, large-for-gestational-age, low weight, high stillbirth, neonatal death, postneonatal death death. Results Perinatal rates 1.47 1.80 times First Nations (10.1 7.3 per 1000, respectively), 2.37 4.46 Inuit (16.3 18.1 respectively) relative to (6.9 4.1 (all p<0.001). Compared births, persistently (1.7–1.8 times) Inuit, large-for-gestational-age (2.7–3.0 over period. Between 1996–2000 2006–2010, as compared infants, risk disparities increased (from 4.10 5.19 6.97 12.33 or 3.76 4.25 infants. Adjusting maternal characteristics (age, marital status, parity, education rural vs. urban residence) attenuated differences, but significantly elevated remained both (1.70 1.28 times, (3.66 (6.01 2.28 infants Conclusions persistent worsening decade Quebec, strongly suggesting needs interventions improve health populations, monitoring other regions