Mohammad Agha
University of Toronto
Canada
Abstract Title:Birth Defects among Children Born to Immigrant Mothers in Ontario, Canada. Impact of Exposure to Foo
Biography:
Research Interest:
Abstract:
Background: Birth defects remains a health issue with substantial international variation. With increasing rates of global migration, it is important to explore the role of immigration and the impact of newenvironments, especially exposure to food fortification with folic acid, on birth defect prevalence among immigrant mothers.
Methods: Children born during 1995-2014 were identified and linked to their mothers. Data on country of origin and arrival date were identified for immigrant mothers. Birth defects were identified through medical records of children during first year of life. Prevalence of defects were compared among children born to immigrant and non-immigrant mothers.
Results: The rate of birth defects among some immigrant mothers was higher than Canadian mothers. Rates were 12 to 27% higher among mothers arriving from Sudan, Jamaica, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.
Immigrant mothers who gave birth before food fortification had higher rates of abnormalities than Canadian mothers, but after 2000, there were lower rate of abnormalities among immigrant mothers. After food fortification, the rate of abnormalities among immigrant mothers was lower than Canadian mothers for all birth orders.
Interpretation: Comparing the birth defect rate among immigrant and non-immigrant mothers at one point in time could be misleading. Higher rates of birth anomalies among immigrant mothers who arrived before food fortification could be due to lack of access to folic acid in their country of origin. After food fortification, immigrant mothers likely had similar exposure to folic acid as Canadian mothers and their rate of birth abnormalities was the same or lower.