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Background Migrant women may have a higher risk for gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and the related adverse outcomes. We studied the prevalence of GDM among migrant-origin women in Finland. Methods This study used data from the nationwide Medical Birth Register. Information on the most recent singleton births of women delivering between 2004 and 2014 (N  = 379 634) was included. Women were classified into nine regional categories based on the country of origin. Finnish origin women were the reference group. Generalized linear models adjusted for maternal age, parity, socioeconomic position, pre-pregnancy body mass index and year of delivery were used to study the association between region/country of origin and GDM. Results Among the study population, almost 8% were of migrant origin. The prevalence of GDM varied from 6.1% (women of Latin American/Caribbean origin) to 18.4% (South Asian origin), compared to 8.7% in the Finnish reference group. When adjusted for confounders, women of South Asian, East Asian, Middle Eastern/North African and Russian/former USSR origin had a higher risk for GDM than Finnish origin women. By country of origin, women originating from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, India, Afghanistan, Nepal, China, Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Morocco, Turkey, Iran, Iraq and former USSR had a higher risk for GDM than Finnish origin women. Conclusions There is substantial variation in the prevalence of GDM by country of origin. Women of South Asian, East Asian and Middle Eastern/North African origin had the highest risk for GDM and may warrant special attention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In Finland, limited information is available on neonatal disparities among women of migrant origin.Objective: This study investigated differences in caesarean delivery and neonatal outcomes between women of migrant origin and Finnish women in Finland.Methods: The study was based on nationwide data from the Medical Birth Register of Finland. Our study included information on the most recent singleton birth of women delivering between January 2004 and December 2014 (N = 382 233). Women were classified into nine regional categories based on their country of origin. Generalized linear models were used to describe associations between country of origin and pregnancy outcomes adjusted for maternal age, socio-economic status, pre-pregnancy body mass index, parity, marital status, smoking during pregnancy, and delivery year. Finnish women were the reference group.Results: Among the study population, almost 92% of women were of Finnish origin; the remaining 8% were of migrant origin. Among the migrant women, those of Russian/former USSR origin were the largest group (n = 11 994); the smallest group was women of Latin American/Caribbean origin (n = 739). Compared with Finnish women, women of sub-Saharan African, South Asian, and East Asian origin were at greater risk of emergency caesarean delivery, preterm birth, low birthweight, and lower five-minute Apgar scores for newborns. Latin American/Caribbean-origin women were at increased risk of both elective and emergency caesarean delivery and lower five-minute Apgar scores compared with Finnish women. Women of Russian/former USSR origin overall had a lower risk of caesarean delivery and poor neonatal outcomes compared with Finnish women.Conclusions: We identified sub-Saharan African, South Asian, and East Asian women as higher-risk groups, and women from Russia/former USSR as a lower-risk group, for emergency caesarean delivery and poor neonatal outcome compared with Finnish women. More research is needed to identify the reasons for these differences by country of origin in Finland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Limited information is available on delivery and its complications among migrant women in Finland. We compared mode of delivery, delivery complications, and use of pain medication during delivery between migrant women of Somali, Kurdish, and Russian origin and women in the general population in Finland. Methods: The women were of Russian (n = 318), Somali (n = 583), and Kurdish (n = 373) origin and 243 women from the general population (reference group) who had given birth in Finland between 2004 and 2014. The data were obtained from the National Medical Birth Register and the Hospital Discharge Register. The most recent birth of each woman was included in the analyses. The main statistical methods were logistic regression analyses adjusting for age, parity, body mass index, gestational age, and smoking during pregnancy. Results: Vaginal delivery was the most common mode of delivery among all study groups (79%‐89%). The prevalence of any delivery complications varied between 15% and 19% among all study groups. When adjusted for confounders, Russian women had lower odds (OR 0.49; CI 0.29‐0.82) of having a cesarean delivery, whereas Somali and Kurdish women did not differ from the reference group. Somali women had an increased risk of any delivery complications (OR 1.62; CI 1.03‐2.55) compared with the reference group. No differences were observed in the use of pain medication between the groups. Conclusion: Delivery complications were more common among migrant Somali women than among women in the general Finnish population. Somali women represent a high‐risk group calling for special attention and care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: We studied the differences in the mean pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) and mean inter-pregnancy weight change in women of Russian, Somali and Kurdish origin and women in the general Finnish population. Methods: The population-based samples were from the Migrant Health and Wellbeing Study and the Health 2011 Survey conducted in six cities in Finland in 2010–2012. This study included women with at least one birth in Finland. Data on their previous pregnancies in Finland were obtained from the National Medical Birth Register for 318 Russian, 584 Somali and 373 Kurdish origin women and for 243 women in the general Finnish population (reference group). Data on pre-pregnancy weight and height were self-reported in early pregnancy. Linear logistic regression was the main method of analysis. Results: The unadjusted mean pre-pregnancy BMI was higher in Somali (27.0 kg/m2, p<0.001) and Kurdish (25.8 kg/m2, p<0.001) women, but lower in Russian (22.2 kg/m2, p<0.001) women than in the reference group (24.1 kg/m2). The adjusted coefficients for the difference in the mean pre-pregnancy BMI were −1.93 (95% CI −2.77 to −1.09) for Russian, 1.82 (95% CI 0.89–2.75) for Somali and 1.30 (95% CI 0.43–2.17) for Kurdish women compared with the reference group. Among women with at least two births, no statistically significant difference was observed in the mean inter-pregnancy weight change between the migrant groups and the reference group. Conclusions: Somali and Kurdish women had higher mean pre-pregnancy BMIs than women in the general Finnish population and may need special support and health promotion strategies for weight management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]