Objectives. To examine the association of maternal race/ethnicity only and parental race/ethnicity jointly with adverse birth outcomes (low birth weight, small for gestational age, preterm birth, and infant mortality) among New York City women. Methods. We used Bureau of Vital Statistics, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene birth- and death-linked data from 2000 to 2010 (n = 984 807) to quantify the association of maternal race/ethnicity and parental race/ethnicity concordance or discordance with each outcome. Results. By maternal race/ethnicity, infants of non-Hispanic Black, Hispanic, and Asian women had risks of adverse birth outcomes between 10% and 210% greater than infants of non-Hispanic White women. Infants of non-Hispanic Black, Asian, and Hispanic couples exhibited higher risk of adverse birth outcomes than infants of non-Hispanic White couples. Moreover, parental racial/ethnic discordance was associated with an increased risk of adverse birth outcomes, with highest risks for pairings of Asian men with non-Hispanic White, non-Hispanic Black, and Hispanic women, and of Asian women with non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic men. Conclusions. Parental race/ethnicity discordance may add stress to women during pregnancy, affecting birth outcomes. Thus, parental race/ethnicity should be considered when examining such outcomes.

To analyze health inequalities between native and immigrant populations in the Basque Country (Spain) and the role of several mediating determinants in explaining these differences. A cross-sectional study was performed in the population aged 18 to 64 years in the Basque Country. We used data from the Basque Health Survey 2007 (n=4,270) and the Basque Health Survey for Immigrants 2009 (n=745). We calculated differences in health inequalities in poor perceived health between the native population and immigrant populations from distinct regions (China, Latin America, the Maghreb and Senegal). To measure the association between poor perceived health and place of origin, and to adjust this association by several mediating variables, odds ratios (OR) were calculated through logistic regression models. Immigrants had poorer perceived health than natives in the Basque Country, regardless of age. These differences could be explained by the lower educational level, worse employment status, lower social support, and perceived discrimination among immigrants, both in men and women. After adjustment was performed for all the variables, health status was better among men from China (OR: 0.18; 95% confidence interval [CI95%]: 0.04-0.91) and Maghreb (OR: 0.26; 95% CI: 0.08-0.91) and among Latin American women (OR: 0.36; 95% CI: 0.14-0.92) than in the native population. These results show the need to continue to monitor social and health inequalities between the native and immigrant populations, as well as to support the policies that improve the socioeconomic conditions of immigrants.

To examine the effect of perceived discrimination and self-rated health among the immigrant population in the Basque Country, Spain, and determine whether this effect varies according to region of origin, age, sex and education. Descriptive cross-sectional study. The study population included immigrants aged 18 and older residing in the Basque Country. Data from the 2014 Foreign Immigrant Population Survey (n=3,456) were used. Log-binomial regression was used to quantify the association between perceived discrimination and self-rated health before and after checking for the selected characteristics. Almost 1 in 10 immigrant adults reports perceiving discrimination. In adjusted analyses, the immigrants perceiving discrimination were almost were 1.92 more likely to rate their health as poor (prevalence ratio: 1.92; 95% CI: 1.44-2.56) than those who did not report discrimination. This association did not vary according to region of origin, age, sex or educational level. Perceived discrimination shows a consistent relationship with perceived health. Moreover, this association did not depend on the region of origin, age, sex or educational level of immigrants. These results show the need for implementing inclusive policies to eliminate individual and institutional discrimination and reduce health inequalities between the immigrant and native populations.

With the economic crisis in Spain, austerity measures were applied. However, it is unknown how these measures have affected the pattern of use of health services for the immigrant population. Thus, the objective of this study was to examine the inequalities in access to different levels of health care services according to place of birth. We used data from the 2014 Foreign Immigrant Population Survey (n = 1,908) and the Basque Health Survey 2013 for the native population (n = 4,232) for adults aged 16–59 years residing in the Basque Country, Spain. Log-binomial regression was used to quantify the association between country of origin and use of different levels of care in men and in women. We found a higher probability of using general practitioner (GP) services in immigrant women (PR: 1.19; 95% CI: 1.12–1.26) and men (PR: 1.11; 95% CI: 1.01–1.23) than in natives. This was also true for emergency services with immigrant women (PR: 1.97; 95% CI: 1.43–2.69) and men (PR: 1.50; 95% CI: 1.01–2.25). However, for specialized medicine services, there was no association. This study suggests the importance of guaranteeing access to health care to the entire population. Hence policies to eliminate barriers to health care are essential to ensure health for all.