Immigrant mothers-to-be less likely to smoke and drink

A new report has shown that women from ethnic minority groups who immigrate to the United Kingdom are less likely to smoke and drink alcohol during pregnancy than British white women. These mothers from ethnic minorities are also more likely to breast-feed.

However, the article also indicates that living in Westernised societies leads to these bad health habits worsening.

Summer Sherburne Hawkins and other colleagues from The Institute of child Health at University College London compared health behaviors surrounding pregnancy in mothers from ethnic minorities and British/Irish white mothers.

A sample of over 8,500 women took part in the Millennium Cohort Study, monitoring women who had babies between September 2000 and January 2002. (2,110 from ethnic minority groups and 6,478 British white mothers). The researchers also investigated whether indicators of acculturation (including language spoken at home and length of residency in the United Kingdom) were associated with these health behaviors.

Compared with British/Irish white mothers, mothers from ethnic minority groups exhibited healthier behaviours during and after pregnancy, such as lower rates of smoking and alcohol consumption during pregnancy, and increased rates of breast-feeding, the investigators found.

However, acculturation was associated with worsening of health behaviors, the report, published online on the British Medical Journal website shows. For each additional five years spent in the United Kingdom, the likelihood of smoking during pregnancy increased by 31 percent and the likelihood of prolonged breast-feeding decreased by 5 percent.

First and second generation mothers-to-be, who were born in the UK, were more likely to smoke and drink during pregnancy than immigrants.

The authors concluded that “as families settle in the United Kingdom, it will be important to support the maintenance of healthy behaviors among women, their daughters and future generations.”