母親國籍與嬰幼兒健康

Abstract

背景： 近年來台灣不但跨國婚姻急遽增加，外籍和大陸配偶婚生子女亦大幅成長。 遺憾的是目前國內有關研究很少，且大都指向外籍和大陸配偶婚生子女的健康較差。 目標： 本研究旨在比較外籍母親、大陸籍母親與台灣母親所生嬰幼兒的健康差異，並探討家庭社經地位在嬰幼兒健康差異上所扮演的角色。 方法： 分析資料來自台灣世代研究先驅調查，共1617名嬰幼兒，調查時間為2004年4-6月及2005年5-7月，兩階段分別為嬰幼兒六個月大及十八個月大。健康變項分為三類：出生結果（早產、低出生體重、先天缺陷），嬰兒發展（六個月大、十八個月大發展里程碑），嬰兒常見疾病罹病情形（事故傷害、發燒感染或腸胃疾病）。 結果： (1) 在早產、低出生體重及先天缺陷的發生率上，大陸和外籍母親所生嬰幼兒與台灣母親所生嬰兒沒有顯著差異。 (2) 在六個月大時的動作發展里程碑上，外籍母親家庭的嬰幼兒顯著較差（OR=1.69； 1.10-2.61），但是在控制家庭社經地位後，顯著性便消失（OR=1.56； 0.99-2.46）。(3) 在罹患發燒感染或腸胃疾病方面，台灣母親所生嬰兒較外籍母親所生的嬰幼兒顯著較差（外籍母親嬰兒OR=0.44； 0.27-0.73），經控制家庭社經地位後，顯著性增加（OR=0.36； 0.21-0.63）。 結論： 外籍及大陸配偶婚生子女健康並沒有較差，家庭社經地位才是造成外籍配偶婚生子女動作發展較差的原因。

BACKGROUND: In spite of the impressive growth of cross-border marriages and the increased number of children born in these families, few studies have examined the health of these children in Taiwan. Existing studies suggest children of foreign-born women have worse health status than those of Taiwan-born. OBJECTIVES: To examine whether there exhibits significant health differentials between children of foreign-born and Taiwan-born women, and the relationship between family socioeconomic position and the health disparity of children in Taiwan. METHODS: A national representative sample of 1617 infants completed two pilots of Taiwan Birth Cohort Study was used in this study. Information was collected from April to June in 2004 and May to July in 2005, at the age of 6 and 18 months old. Health variables are birth outcome (prevalence of preterm birth, low birth weight and birth defect), early child development (attainment of developmental milestones at 6 and 18 month of age), and health conditions (having injury and fever, infectious or gastrointestinal diseases). RESULTS: (1) No significant differences were found between nativity groups for prevalence in preterm birth, low birth weight and birth defect. (2) Comparing with children of Taiwan-born, children of foreign-born mothers exhibit significantly poor motor developmental attainment (OR=1.69, 1.10-2.61). However after controlling for family socioeconomic characteristics, the risk of adverse motor development for children of foreign-born mothers became not significant (OR=1.56, 0.99-2.46). (3) Children of foreign-born mothers have significantly lower risk of having fever, infectious or gastrointestinal diseases (OR=0.44, 0.27-0.73) than that of Taiwan-born mothers regardless of their disadvantaged family socioeconomic position. CONCLUSIONS: Children of foreign-born and China-born mothers do not experience worse health status in Taiwan. Family socioeconomic position plays an important role in differentiating early child development between children of foreign-born mothers and Taiwan-born.