Grant: Operating Grant - PA: Reproductive and Child Heath (start-up grants)

Immigrants are important for the population and economic growth of Canada. Immigrant mothers currently contribute to 25% of all 380,000 infants born each year in Canada and to 37% of newborns in Ontario. Compared to men, women are at disadvantage in terms of survival and overall health and quality of life in many nations. For example, almost 4 million excess female deaths occur every year, the majority of them in Asia and Africa. About 35% are never born or die at birth, 15% die in early childhood and 33% in their reproductive age. Poor infant, child and maternal health are intimately related as female disadvantage impairs the ability of mothers to take care of themselves and their children. Canada increasingly receives immigrants from world regions where female disadvantage is quite common, such as Asia and Africa. However, little, if any, is known about how female immigrants and their newborns fare, or if the female disadvantage that is known to exist in some countries persist after immigration to Canada. To examine these issues, this research will study 2.6 million births (and their mothers) in the last two decades in Ontario, 500,000 of which were born to immigrant women. The goal is to determine if infant, child and maternal health and well-being differ according to the sex of the baby and the country of origin of the mother. We have built a strong research team and will work in collaboration with immigrant community organizations to ensure that our findings translate into more equitable and improved care of mothers and their children.