Maternal nativity status and pregnancy outcome among U.S.-born Filipinos.

Using 1979-87 Hawaii vital record data on single live births, this study compares by nativity status of the mother the maternal characteristics and pregnancy outcomes of resident Filipino women. Among ethnic minorities in the United States, the pregnancy outcomes of U.S.-born mothers have been reported to compare unfavorably to their foreign-born counterparts. In this study, unequivocally preferential pregnancy outcome indicators were not observed for foreign-born women. Contrary to expectations, a significant, but modest, increase in the risk of preterm delivery was found for infants of Philippines-born mothers, along with a less favorable mean birth weight and gestational age. As a growing minority population in the United States, the atypical determinants and patterns of pregnancy outcome in this population warrants further investigation.