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Published in: International Journal of Public Health 3/2015

01-03-2015 | Original Article

Stillbirth in an Anglophone minority of Canada

Authors: Nathalie Auger, Mark Daniel, Laust Mortensen, Clarisse Toa-Lou, André Costopoulos

Published in: International Journal of Public Health | Issue 3/2015

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Abstract

Objectives

We assessed trends in stillbirth over time for Francophones and Anglophones of Quebec, a large Canadian province with publically funded health care and an English-speaking minority.

Methods

We calculated stillbirth rates for Francophones and Anglophones, and estimated hazard ratios (HR) by decade from 1981 to 2010, adjusting for maternal characteristics. We analyzed temporal trends by gestational interval and cause of fetal death.

Results

Stillbirth rates decreased in Quebec during the three decades, due to improved rates in Francophones. Rates decreased for Anglophones in 1991–2000, but increased in 2001–2010 at term, during the second trimester, and for most causes of fetal death. In the 2000s, the hazard of stillbirth for Anglophones was nearly the same as the hazard for Francophones in the 1980s (HR 0.93, 95 % confidence interval 0.82, 1.05).

Conclusions

Stillbirth rates declined in both Francophones and Anglophones before the turn of the century, but increased thereafter for Anglophones, suggesting that linguistic inequalities in stillbirth may be emerging in Quebec. Linguistic status may be a useful marker for surveillance of inequalities in stillbirth.
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Metadata
Title
Stillbirth in an Anglophone minority of Canada
Authors
Nathalie Auger
Mark Daniel
Laust Mortensen
Clarisse Toa-Lou
André Costopoulos
Publication date
01-03-2015
Publisher
Springer Basel
Published in
International Journal of Public Health / Issue 3/2015
Print ISSN: 1661-8556
Electronic ISSN: 1661-8564
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00038-015-0650-6

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