The associations of parental under-education and unemployment on the risk of preterm birth: 2003 Korean National Birth Registration database

Song

An³

et al. 2017

Korean J Pediatr

PurposeFollowing legal reform in 2013, the annual number of asylum seekers entering South Korea has increased from 1,143 in 2012 to 5,711 in 2015. We interviewed six African refugee mothers of young children regarding their health needs and barriers to access maternal child health services.MethodsWe recruited mothers who had visited a clinic for immigrants between July 2013 and August 2015. Participants were African refugee women, aged over 18 years, who had given birth in Korea within the previous 5 years and had come to Korea over a year before recruitment. Interview questions examined participants' experiences in pregnancy and childbirth and concerns regarding their child's health status. Initial data analysis involved all researchers' immersion in the entire collection of transcripts. We then noted recurrent topics and themes and identified similar issues.ResultsAt the time of giving birth, 5 participants were asylum seekers and one had undocumented status. The following barriers impeded their access to maternal child healthcare: socioeconomic factors (unstable social identity, low economic status, difficulty obtaining health insurance), language barriers (lack of linguistically appropriate health information, limited access to translation services), and cultural barriers (religious and cultural differences). Weak social support also hindered access to healthcare soon after migration; however, social links with the community emerged as a key coping strategy following settlement.ConclusionWe identified barriers to maternal and child healthcare and coping strategies among African refugee mothers in Korea. Future research should assess refugees' health status and improve health access and literacy among refugee mothers.

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 82%

Healthcare access challenges facing six African refugee mothers in South Korea: a qualitative multiple-case study

Song

An³

et al. 2017

Korean J Pediatr

“…The personal identification number used for all the data was deleted before being provided, and this study was thus performed using a secondary data analysis. For these reasons, this study was inapplicable to review from the ethical review panel [11].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 98%

The Associations between Bridal Pregnancy and Obstetric Outcomes among Live Births in Korea: Population-Based Study

et al. 2014

Self Cite

ObjectiveIn East Asia the recently increased number of marriages in response to pregnancy is an important social issue. This study evaluated the association of marriage preceded by pregnancy (bridal pregnancy) with obstetric outcomes among live births in Korea.MethodsIn this population-based study, 1,152,593 first singleton births were evaluated from data registered in the national birth registration database from 2004 to 2008 in Korea. In the study population, the pregnancy outcomes among live births from the bridal pregnancy group (N = 62,590) were compared with the outcomes of the post-marital pregnancy group (N = 564,749), composed of women who gave birth after 10 months but before 24 months of marriage. The variables preterm birth (PTB; <37 weeks gestation) and low birth weight (LBW; <2.5 kg) were used to determine the primary outcome. The adjusted odds ratios (aORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated after controlling for socio-demographic factors.ResultsThe socio-demographic factors among the bridal pregnancy group were associated with a social disadvantage and particular risk factors. In the subgroup analyses of maternal age, differences in adverse pregnancy outcomes from bridal pregnancy were identified between women in the following age group: (i) ≤19, (ii) 20–39, and (iii) ≥40 years. After the multivariate analysis, the aORs for each age group were 1.47 (95% CI: 1.15–1.89), 1.76 (1.70–1.83), and 1.13 (0.77–1.66), respectively, for PTB and 0.92 (0.70–1.21), 1.60 (1.53–1.66), and 1.11 (0.71–1.74), respectively, for LBW. In the adjusted logistic regression models, bridal pregnancy was associated with PTB (1.76, 1.69–1.82) and LBW (1.53, 1.48–1.59).ConclusionPregnancy outcomes among live births from bridal pregnancies are associated with higher risks for PTB and LBW in Korea.

“…Our study had several strengths, including adjustment for a number of covariates, including maternal age, parity, infant sex, and parental employment, which have been associated with adverse birth outcomes in previous reports [28,29,30]. In addition, our analysis was based on the specific criteria of 70 µg/m 3 of PM 10 , which is relevant to higher risks.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To evaluate the difference between metropolitan areas (Seoul, Busan, Daegu, Incheon, Gwangju, Daejeon, and Ulsan) and nonmetropolitan regions, we performed sensitivity analyses and assessed differences in ORs among both regional groups. We estimated adjusted ORs (aORs) after controlling for variables known to affect birth outcomes [28,29,30], including season at birth, parity, and parental job, education level, age, nationality, and residential region (capital region or not).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Maternal Exposure to Particulate Matter during Pregnancy and Adverse Birth Outcomes in the Republic of Korea

Song

et al. 2019

IJERPH

Air pollution has become a global concern due to its association with numerous health effects. We aimed to assess associations between birth outcomes in Korea, such as preterm births and birth weight in term infants, and particulate matter < 10 µm (PM10). Records from 1,742,183 single births in 2010–2013 were evaluated. Mean PM10 concentrations during pregnancy were calculated and matched to birth data by registered regions. We analyzed the frequency of birth outcomes between groups using WHO criteria for PM10 concentrations with effect sizes estimated using multivariate logistic regression. Women exposed to PM10 > 70 µg/m3 during pregnancy had a higher rate of preterm births than women exposed to PM10 ≤ 70 µg/m3 (7.4% vs. 4.7%, P < 0.001; adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 1.570; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.487–1.656). The rate of low birth weight in term infants increased when women were exposed to PM10 > 70 µg/m3 (1.9% vs. 1.7%, P = 0.278), but this difference was not statistically significant (aOR 1.060, 95% CI: 0.953–1.178). In conclusion, PM10 exposure > 70 µg/m3 was associated with preterm births. Further studies are needed to explore the pathophysiologic mechanisms and guide policy development to prevent future adverse effects on birth outcomes.