Maternal and Child Health in Urban Sabah,Malaysia: A Comparison of Citizens and Migrants

Abstract

This paper describes selected maternal and child health indicators based on a cross-sectional study of citizens and migrants in Sabah, Malaysia. A total of 1, 515 women were interviewed from a multi-stage random sample of households in eight urban centers. Among the 1, 411 women in the sample who had experienced a pregnancy before, 76% were local citizens and 24% were migrants. There were statistically significant differences between citizens and migrants in ethnicity, religion, education, household income, and access to treated water supply and sanitary toilet facilities. Significantly fewer migrants practiced any form of contraception and obtained any antenatal care during any pregnancy. Furthermore, citizens tended to initiate care as early as three months but migrants as late as seven months. Despite these differences, only the infant mortality rate, and not pregnancy wastage, was statistically significantly higher among migrants. Pregnancy interval was also similar between the two groups. The influence of several socioeconomic factors on pregnancy wastage and infant mortality was explored. Asia Pac J Public Health1994;7(3):151-8.

Keywords

Antenatal care birth attendants contraception infant mortality migrant health spontaneous abortion stillbirth

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

1. Last JM . Public Health and Human Ecology. USA: Appleton and Lange, 1987, 329–31.

2. Clarke JI . Population Geography. London, Oxford: Pergamon Press Ltd, 1965, 132–6.

3. United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and Pacific, Bangkok, Thailand, and Population Centre Foundation, Manila, Philippines. Levels and Trends of International Migration in the Countries of the ESCAP Region. Asian Population Studies: Expert group meeting on the international migration in Asia and Pacific. Bangkok, Thailand, 1985; 61: 67–73.

4. Last JM and Wallace RB editors (13th edition). MAXCY-ROSENAU-LAST Public Health and Preventive Medicine. USA: Appleton and Lange, 1992:48–9.

5. Goldstein S , Goldstein A : Migration in Thailand, a twenty-five year review. Hawaii: East-West Centre, 1986.

6. World Health Organisation. UNI-CEF/WHO interregional consultation on primary health care in urban areas. Geneva: World Health Organisation 1986.

7. Schwarz K : Public Health Aspects of Migration.In: Wolstenholme Gordon EW and O'Connor M , eds. Migration, Medical and Social Aspects, CIBA Foundation Report. London: J.A Churchill, 1966:27–33.

8. Social Welfare and Development Centre For Asia and Pacific, Migration and Resettlement Rural — Urban Policies in Selected Asian Countries Manila, Philippines, 1984:2.

9. Johari MY (ed). Urban poverty in Malaysia. Institute for Development Studies, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia, 1991.

10.

10. Department of Statistics. Vital Statistics Malaysia. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 1957-1988.

11.

11. Department of Statistics. Vital statistics Sabah. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 1988.

12.

12. Ministry of Health Malaysia. Annual Report 1991. Maternal and Child Health Unit. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 1992.

13.

13. Chongsuvivatwong V , Mo-Suwan L and Mahahing P : Transitional society, health status and international migration of Muslim villagers in lower part of Southern Thailand. Southeast Asian J Trop Med Public Health, 1990 (21); 3: 442–6.

14.

14. Butz VVP , DaVanzo J , Habitcht JP : Biological and behavioural influences on the mortality of Malaysian infants. Rand Corporation, Santa Monica, USA, 1982.