AUTHOR=Behboudi-Gandevani Samira , Bidhendi-Yarandi Razieh , Panahi Mohammad Hossein , Mardani Abbas , Gåre Kymre Ingjerd , Paal Piret , Vaismoradi Mojtaba 

TITLE=A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Risk of Stillbirth, Perinatal and Neonatal Mortality in Immigrant Women

JOURNAL=International Journal of Public Health

VOLUME=67

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.ssph-journal.org/journals/international-journal-of-public-health/articles/10.3389/ijph.2022.1604479

DOI=10.3389/ijph.2022.1604479

ISSN=1661-8564

ABSTRACT=<p><bold>Objectives:</bold> This study aimed to investigate the risk of stillbirth, perinatal and neonatal mortality in immigrant women compared to native-origin women in host countries.</p><p><bold>Methods:</bold> A systematic literature review and meta-analysis was conducted. Relevant studies were identified using a thorough literature search and their quality was appraised. The analysis of heterogeneous data was carried out using the random effects model and publication bias was assessed using the Harbord-test. Also, the pooled odds ratio of events was calculated through the DerSimonian and Laird, and inverse variance methods.</p><p><bold>Results:</bold> In the search process 45 studies were retrieved consisting of 8,419,435 immigrant women and 40,113,869 native-origin women. The risk of stillbirth (Pooled OR = 1.35, 95% CI = 1.22–1.50), perinatal mortality (Pooled OR = 1.50, 95% CI = 1.35–1.68), and neonatal mortality (Pooled OR = 1.09, 95% CI = 1.00–1.19) in the immigrant women were significantly higher than the native-origin women in host countries. According to the sensitivity analyses, all results were highly consistent with the main data analysis results.</p><p><bold>Conclusion:</bold> The immigrant women compared to the native-origin women had the higher risks of stillbirth, perinatal and neonatal mortality. Healthcare providers and policy makers should improve the provision of maternal and neonatal healthcare for the immigrant population.</p>