Abstract
BackgroundThe number of children born to foreign-born mothers in Taiwan has significantly increased since the 1990s. These foreign-born mothers are mainly from China and Southeast Asia. Children born to foreign-born mothers, according to media reports, are subject to inferior health. This study sought to determine whether socioeconomic disparities in birth outcomes exist between native and foreign-born mothers in Taiwan.MethodsAnalysis data were obtained from the Taiwan Birth Cohort Study of 20,090 nationally representative 6-month-old babies, born in 2005. The data on the babies were divided into two groups, those of foreign-born mothers and those of Taiwanese mothers. The health outcome variables that were examined included two adverse birth outcomes: low birth weight and preterm birth. Multiple logistic regression was used to examine the association between income and foreign-born status, as well as birth outcomes among both groups.ResultsChildren of native Taiwanese mothers had a higher prevalence of low birth weight (6.9%) than did children of China-born (4.7%) and Southeast Asia-born mothers (5.2%). The prevalence of preterm birth was also higher among children of native Taiwanese mothers (8.4%) than among children of Southeast Asia-born (7.2%) and China-born mothers (6.3%). Foreign-born status was associated with lower odds of low birth weight among families with a monthly family income < NT$30,000 (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 0.24, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.14–0.42, p < 0.001), and lower odds of preterm birth among families with a monthly family income < NT$30,000 and NT$30,000–69,999 (AOR = 0.63, CI = 0.40–0.99, p < 0.05, and AOR = 0.68, CI = 0.53–0.88, p < 0.01, respectively). Having a higher monthly family income (NT$70,000+ and NT$30,000–69,999) was associated with lower odds of low birth weight (AOR = 0.59, CI = 0.46–0.77, p < 0.001 and AOR = 0.75, CI = 0.60–0.94, p < 0.05, respectively) among Taiwanese mothers, but not among foreign-born mothers.ConclusionForeign-born mothers from China and Southeast Asia did not experience worse birth outcomes than native Taiwanese mothers did, regardless of the disadvantaged socioeconomic position of their families.
Highlights
The number of children born to foreign-born mothers in Taiwan has significantly increased since the 1990s
By assessing the interaction between foreign-born status and family income, we were able to examine the role of foreign-born status at different family income levels and whether an income gradient exists in low birth weight and preterm births among native Taiwanese and foreign-born mothers
Our results show that foreign-born status plays a protective role against low birth weight and preterm birth among mothers with lower family incomes, whereas this protective role was not observed among mothers with high family income (Table 3)
Summary
The number of children born to foreign-born mothers in Taiwan has significantly increased since the 1990s. These foreign-born mothers are mainly from China and Southeast Asia. Children born to foreign-born mothers, according to media reports, are subject to inferior health. Cross-border marriages in the Asia-Pacific region have increased significantly over recent decades. In Japan, the percentage of cross-border marriages had increased from 0.9% in 1980 to 4.3% in 2010 [1]. In South Korea, one tenth of South Korean marriages were to a foreign spouse in 2011 [2]. With the highest rate of cross-border marriages in the Asia-Pacific region [3], the rate in Taiwan peaked in 2003, with 31.9% of registered marriages involving a foreign spouse.
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