Grant: CIHR New Investigator

Despite substantial progress in reducing maternal and infant deaths, serious illnesses in the perinatal period are still a big concern for both the mother and her child. Infants who survive serious morbidity around birth may still experience disabilities and other health disorders later in life. Compared to industrialized nations, maternal mortality may be 100 times higher in some developing countries. Female disadvantage is another global problem. 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 maternal mortality and 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. On the other hand, some immigrants may be healthier than the Canadian-born. Learning what make them healthier might be beneficial for the whole population. To examine these issues, this research program 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. I have built a strong research team that 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.