Table 5

Birth outcomes and complications of undocumented migrants vs. women with legal residency status (control group) who delivered at the Geneva University Hospital, Switzerland between February 2005 and October 2006

Characteristic or measurement
Undocumented births (n = 106)
Missing n (%)
Control group (n = 229)
Missing n (%)
p-value

Gravidity (SD)
2.3 (1.4)
-
2.4 (1.4)
-
0.97
Parity (SD)
1.7 (1.0)
-
1.7 (0.9)
-
0.99
Mean gestational age (SD)
38.9 (1.9)
-
39.4 (1.4)
-
0.02
Pre-term births (< 37 weeks)
8.5%

3.9%

0.09
Post-term births (> 40 weeks)
15.1%
-
21.0%
-
0.20
Delivery:

-

-
0.14
     Vaginal spontaneous
59.8%

63.9%


     Forceps
3.7%

4.3%


     Vacuum
11.2%

10.9%


     Cesarean
25.2%

20.0%


Complications during pregnancy
31.1%
-
33.6%
-
0.70
Complications during delivery*
26.3%
-
32.8%
-
0.36
Complications during post partum
3.7%
-
2.2%
-
0.41
Sex of the child (male)
50.5%
-
54.6%
1 (0.4)
0.48
Health of the child

-

-

     Good health
96.2%

95.6%

0.53
     Born dead
0.9%

0.4%

0.58
     Transfer to Neonatology for serious health hazard)
3 (2.8%)

9 (3.9%)

0.44
Birth weight in g (SD)
3293.9 (521)
-
3380.9 (495)
-
0.15
     Low birth weight (< 2500 g)
4.7%

2.6%

0.24
Apgar 1 (mean (SD))
8.5 (1.4)
-
8.7 (1.3)
1 (0.4)
0.43
Apgar 2 (mean (SD))
9.7 (0.8)
-
9.7 (0.6)
1 (0.4)
0.73
Apgar 3 (mean (SD))
9.9 (0.5)
-
9.9 (0.4)
1 (0.4)
0.86
Neonatal Complications
2.8%
-
6.6%
-
0.07

* caesarean section excluded

Wolff et al. BMC Public Health 2008 8:93   doi:10.1186/1471-2458-8-93