Infant mortality among Arabic-speakers in Quebec, Canada, 1989-2017

BACKGROUND: We assessed trends in infant mortality for Arabic-speakers in Quebec, Canada between 1981 and 2017. METHODS: We computed infant mortality rates for Arabic versus French and English-speakers in Quebec over time. We used adjusted risk ratios (aRR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) to investigate trends among Arabic-speakers according to socioeconomic status, age, and cause of death. RESULTS: Infant mortality rates were 3.0 for Arabic-speakers and 5.1 for French and English-speakers per 1,000 live births. Infant mortality increased for Arabic-speakers between 1989-1995 and 2010-2017 (aRR 2.07; 95% CI, 1.04-4.12), but decreased for French and English-speakers (aRR 0.77; 95% CI, 0.73-0.81). The increase in infant mortality was greater for socioeconomically advantaged Arabic-speakers (aRR 2.52; 95% CI, 1.20-5.28) and early neonatal mortality (aRR 1.64; 95% CI, 0.98-2.76). DISCUSSION: Arabic-speakers in Quebec have a lower risk of infant mortality than French and English-speakers, but increasing infant mortality among Arabic-speakers is narrowing the gap.