Temporal trends in Inuit, First Nations and non-Aboriginal birth outcomes in rural and northern Quebec

Objectives. The objective was to assess trends in Inuit, First Nations and non-Aboriginal birth outcomes in the rural and northern regions of Quebec. Study design and methods. In a birth cohort-based study of all births to residents of rural and northern Quebec from 1991 through 2000 (n177,193), we...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Fabienne Simonet, Russell Wilkins, Zhong-cheng Luo
Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
Format: Text
Language:English
Subjects:
Aboriginal health
trends
preterm birth
perinatal mortality
infant mortality
First Nations
inuit
Online Access:http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.665.3428
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3417705/pdf/IJCH-71-18791.pdf
Description
Summary:Objectives. The objective was to assess trends in Inuit, First Nations and non-Aboriginal birth outcomes in the rural and northern regions of Quebec. Study design and methods. In a birth cohort-based study of all births to residents of rural and northern Quebec from 1991 through 2000 (n177,193), we analyzed birth outcomes and infant mortality for births classified by maternal mother tongue (Inuit, First Nations or non-Aboriginal) and by community type (predominantly First Nations, Inuit or non-Aboriginal). Results. From 19911995 to 19962000, there was a trend of increasing rates of preterm birth for all 6 study groups. In all rural and northern areas, low birth weight rates increased significantly only for the Inuit mother tongue group [RR1.45 (95 % CI 1.052.01)]. Stillbirth rates showed a non-significant increase for the Inuit mother tongue group [RR1.76 (0.644.83)]. Neonatal mortality rates decreased significantly in the predominantly non-Aboriginal communities and in the non-Aboriginal mother tongue group [RR0.78 (0.660.92)], and increased non-significantly for the First Nations mother tongue group [RR2.17 (0.716.62)]. Perinatal death rates increased for the First Nations mother tongue grouping in northern areas [RR2.19 (0.994.85)]. Conclusion. There was a disconcerting rise of some mortality outcomes for births to First Nations and Inuit mother tongue women and to women in predominantly First Nations and Inuit communities, in contrast to some improvements for births to non-Aboriginal mother tongue women and to women in predominantly non-Aboriginal communities in rural or northern Quebec, indicating a need for improving perinatal and neonatal health for Aboriginal populations in rural and northern regions.

Similar Items