IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/aph/ajpbhl/10.2105-ajph.2007.127498_3.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Neighborhood context and infant birthweight among recent immigrant mothers: A multilevel analysis

Author

Listed:
  • Urquia, M.L.
  • Frank, J.W.
  • Glazier, R.H.
  • Moineddin, R.
  • Matheson, F.I.
  • Gagnon, A.J.

Abstract

Objectives. We compared the influence of the residential environment and maternal country of origin on birthweight and low birthweight of infants born to recent immigrants to urban Ontario. Methods. We linked delivery records (1993-2000) to an immigration database (1993-1995) and small-area census data (1996). The datawere analyzed with cross-classified random-effects models and standard multilevel methods. Higher-level predictors included 4 independent measures of neighborhood context constructed by factor analysis and maternal world regions of origin. Results. Births (N=22189) were distributed across 1396 census tracts and 155 countries of origin. The associations between neighborhood indices and birthweight disappeared after we controlled for the maternal country of origin in a cross-classified multilevel model. Significant associations between world regions and birthweight and low birthweight persisted after we controlled for neighborhood context and individual characteristics. Conclusions. The residential environment has little, if any, influence on birthweight among recent immigrants to Ontario. Country of origin appears to be amuchmore important factor in low birthweight among children of recent immigrants than current neighborhood. Findings of neighborhood influences among recent immigrants should be interpretedwith caution.

Suggested Citation

  • Urquia, M.L. & Frank, J.W. & Glazier, R.H. & Moineddin, R. & Matheson, F.I. & Gagnon, A.J., 2009. "Neighborhood context and infant birthweight among recent immigrant mothers: A multilevel analysis," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 99(2), pages 285-293.
    • Handle: RePEc:aph:ajpbhl:10.2105/ajph.2007.127498_3
    DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2007.127498
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.2105/AJPH.2007.127498
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.2105/AJPH.2007.127498?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:aph:ajpbhl:10.2105/ajph.2007.127498_3. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Christopher F Baum (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.apha.org .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.