Objectives: Studies have documented the favorable perinatal outcomes of recent Mexican immigrants (a.k.a. the Mexican paradox). Some investigators have suggested that errors in recall of last menstrual period (LMP) and misclassification of gestational age (GA) may be responsible for these outcomes. In this paper, we explore these issues by examining: (i) how Mexican immigrant women recall their LMP; and (ii) how they calculate GA. Methods: Mexican women between the ages of 18 and 45 who have been living in United States five years or less were recruited for participation in a series of focus groups. Level of acculturation was assessed at the end of each session and basic demographic information was obtained. We are planning to include a total of 20 respondents. In the first of four focus group sessions (n=15), five subjects were excluded from analysis because they did not meet inclusion requirements. Results: Analysis of the remaining participants (n=10) produced three basic themes: (i) respondents easily recalled their LMP (10/10); (ii) LMP was considered to be the last day of their menstrual cycle, not the first day, (10/10); and (iii) GA was calculated by adding nine months to the their LMP (9/10). Conclusions: Our initial results suggest that Mexican immigrant women report LMP to be the day their menstrual bleeding terminated instead of the day it began. In addition, GA was estimated by adding nine months to their LMP. See sph.unc.edu/chsr/project1_bottom_rev.htm
Learning Objectives: To explore the possibility of measurement error in the assessment of last menstrual period (LMP) and gestational age (GA) among recent Mexican immigrants living in the United States.
Keywords: Immigrants, Pregnancy Outcomes
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.