Abstract
PurposeThis study compared infant mortality and its associated factors between Korean and immigrant women using vital statistics gathered by Statistics Korea.MethodsBirth and death statistics from the period between 2009 and 2019 were extracted from the census of population dynamics data of the Microdata Integrated Service, Korea. Statistical data were derived from a complete survey and infant mortality was analyzed from mortality statistics data. Descriptive statistics were used for comparison.ResultsThe average infant mortality rate (IMR) of Korean women was 2.7 in Koreawhich, did not change significantly between 2009 and 2019; however, the IMR of immigrant women increased significantly in 2018 to 4.2 and subsequently decreased to 2.6 in 2019. Moreover, the age of Korean and immigrant women at the time of infant death gradually increased from 31.1 years and 25.9 years in 2009 to 32.8 years and 30.9 years in 2019, respectively. The gestational age was lower for deceased infants born to immigrant women (mean, 31.04 weeks; standard deviation [SD], 6.42; median, 30.00 ) compared to those born to Korean women (mean, 31.71 weeks; SD, 6.48; median, 32.00). Immigrant women (91.7%) received slightly fewer antenatal care visits compared to Korean women (93.1%).ConclusionIt is vital to devise a plan to lower the IMR of immigrant women in Korea. Moreover, it is necessary to explore the factors related to infant mortality among immigrant women within the context of Korean societal situation, culture, and home environment.
Highlights
The proportion of multicultural marriages in South Korea was 7.4% in 2015, which increased to 10.3% in 2019, while multicultural births accounted for 5.9% of all births [1]
What is already known about this topic? The infant mortality rate (IMR) is an important indicator reflecting the quality of national health care
This study identified the maternal and infant characteristics related to mortality in infants born to Korean and migrant mothers between 2009 and 2019 using vital statistics
Summary
The proportion of multicultural marriages in South Korea (hereafter, Korea) was 7.4% in 2015, which increased to 10.3% in 2019, while multicultural births accounted for 5.9% of all births [1]. In 2019, as high as 64.2% of immigrant women in Korea gave birth [1]. Considering the fertility rate of 0.84 in 2020 [2], the lowest ever recorded in Korea, the fertility rate of immigrant women has great qualitative and quantitative significance for Korea’s future. A total of 80.2% of immigrant women give birth in their early twenties to early thirties compared to 29.6% of Korean women [1] who give birth in their late thirties.
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