ArticleBMJ open2018
Refugee maternal and perinatal health in Ontario, Canada: a retrospective population-based study.
Article in BMJ open, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
16 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes and International Immigration Status: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.Annals of global health · 2022Pooled it
- A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Risk of Stillbirth, Perinatal and Neonatal Mortality in Immigrant Women.International journal of public health · 2022Pooled it
- Disparities in Obstetric and Anaesthetic Care Between Migrant and Native Populations in High-Income Countries: A Narrative Review.Acta medica academica · 2025Review
- Neonatal Adverse Outcomes among Hospital Livebirths in Canada: A National Retrospective Study.Neonatology · 2025Article
- Are rates of clinical interventions during pregnancy and childbirth different for refugees and asylum seekers in high-income countries? A scoping review.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2024Article
- Birth and postnatal outcomes among infants of immigrant parents of different admission categories and parents born in Canada: a population-based retrospective study.CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association journal = journal de l'Association medicale canadienne · 2024Article
- Single-Centre Retrospective Cohort Study of Demographic Characteristics and Perinatal Outcomes in Pregnant Refugee Patients in Toronto, Canada.Journal of immigrant and minority health · 2023Article
- Morbidity and mortality of newborns born to immigrant and nonimmigrant females residing in low-income neighbourhoods.CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association journal = journal de l'Association medicale canadienne · 2023Article
- Receipt of adequate prenatal care for privately sponsored versus government-assisted refugees in Ontario, Canada: a population-based cohort study.CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association journal = journal de l'Association medicale canadienne · 2023Article
- Severe Maternal Morbidity and Mortality Among Immigrant and Canadian-Born Women Residing Within Low-Income Neighborhoods in Ontario, Canada.JAMA network open · 2023Article
- Determinants and Inequities in Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) Care Access Among Im/Migrant Women in Canada: Findings of a Comprehensive Review (2008-2018).Journal of immigrant and minority health · 2022Review
- Article
- Neighbourhood maternal socioeconomic status indicators and risk of congenital heart disease.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2021Article
- Evaluating Birth Outcomes From a Community-Based Pregnancy Support Program for Refugee Women in Georgia.Frontiers in global women's health · 2021Article
- Association Between Chronic Medical Conditions and Acute Perinatal Psychiatric Health-Care Encounters Among Migrants: A Population-Based Cohort Study.Canadian journal of psychiatry. Revue canadienne de psychiatrie · 2020Article
- Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
Abstract
objectivesImmigrants are thought to be healthier than their native-born counterparts, but less is known about the health of refugees or forced migrants. Previous studies often equate refugee status with immigration status or country of birth (COB) and none have compared refugee to non-refugee immigrants from the same COB. Herein, we examined whether: (1) a refugee mother experiences greater odds of adverse maternal and perinatal health outcomes compared with a similar non-refugee mother from the same COB and (2) refugee and non-refugee immigrants differ from Canadian-born mothers for maternal and perinatal outcomes.
designThis is a retrospective population-based database study. We implemented two cohort designs: (1) 1:1 matching of refugees to non-refugee immigrants on COB, year and age at arrival (±5 years) and (2) an unmatched design using all data. SETTING AND
participantsRefugee immigrant mothers (n=34 233), non-refugee immigrant mothers (n=243 439) and Canadian-born mothers (n=615 394) eligible for universal healthcare insurance who had a hospital birth in Ontario, Canada, between 2002 and 2014. PRIMARY OUTCOMES: Numerous adverse maternal and perinatal health outcomes.
resultsRefugees differed from non-refugee immigrants most notably for HIV, with respective rates of 0.39% and 0.20% and an adjusted OR (AOR) of 1.82 (95% CI 1.19 to 2.79). Other elevated outcomes included caesarean section (AOR 1.04, 95% CI 1.00 to 1.08) and moderate preterm birth (AOR 1.08, 95% CI 0.99 to 1.17). For the majority of outcomes, refugee and non-refugee immigrants experienced similar AORs when compared with Canadian-born mothers.
conclusionsRefugee status was associated with a few adverse maternal and perinatal health outcomes, but the associations were not strong except for HIV. The definition of refugee status used herein may not sensitively identify refugees at highest risk. Future research would benefit from further refining refugee status based on migration experiences.
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