外籍新娘與本地婦女的低出生體重嬰兒比較

A large proportion of alien women who immigrate into Taiwan marry into disadvantaged families. The health care demands for offspring born to such alien brides are an issue of concern. This study compared the birth weights and gestational ages of infants born to alien and native brides. Birth certificates for infants born from January 1999 to September 2003 were obtained from the health department of a rural town in southern Taiwan. The average birth weights and gestational ages of infants and their parental socio-demographic variables were compared between alien and native women. The infant birth weights and gestational ages were also compared as a function of parental sociodemographic status. Among 2,128 infants enrolled in this study, 312 were born to alien brides. The average age difference between alien brides and their husbands was much greater than that which existed in native couples (12.0±6.8 years vs. 3.2±3.5 years, p＜0.001). Alien brides (p＜0.001) and their husbands (p＜0.001) also had a lower level of education than native women and their husbands. The average birth weights of infants born to alien women was slightly lower than the average birth weights of infants born to native women, but did not reach statistical significance (3100.6±432.4 g vs. 3131.0 ± 473.7 g, p=0.258). Alien women also had a lower, but not significant, preterm birth rate (6.7% vs. 8.1%, p=0.392). However, the low birth weight rate was slightly lower, but not significant, for infants born to alien women as compared to infants born to native women (4.9% vs. 5.9%, p=0.257). Compared to women with higher gestational ages (＞37 weeks), those with lower gestational ages (＜37weeks) had a higher risk of low birth weight (OR=33.1, 95% CI=20.7-52.8). The risk of low birth weight was less in women aged 25-29 years than that in women ＜25 years of age (OR=0.55, 95% CI=0.30-0.99). The infant low birth weight rate may not be associated with maternal alien status, although alien women may live with families of a lower socioeconomic status.