Childbearing or induced abortion: the impact of education and ethnic background. Population study of Norwegian and Pakistani women in Oslo, Norway.

OBJECTIVE

To study patterns of induced abortion versus childbirth related to education among Norwegian and Pakistani women.

DESIGN AND SETTING

Population-based study in Oslo, Norway.

POPULATION

All women 15-50 years of age of Norwegian (n=94,428) or Pakistani (n=5,390) descent living in Oslo.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Induced abortion or child delivery.

RESULTS

In Norwegian women with a university education, 15.3% delivered a child and 2.9% had an induced abortion between 2000 and 2002. In women with less than high school education, the figures were 5.3% and 4.3%. Pregnant women with less than high school education were twice as likely to have an induced abortion as women with a university education (odds ratio, 2.0; 95% confidence interval, 1.7-2.5), after adjustment for age, parity, marital status, and residential area. Among Pakistani women with a university education, 23.0% gave birth and 2.9% had an induced abortion. In Pakistani women with less than high school education, the figures were 20.8% and 2.8%. Among pregnant Pakistani women, those with less than high school education were less likely to have an induced abortion compared to women with a university education (odds ratio, 0.5; 95% confidence interval, 0.2-1.1).

CONCLUSIONS

Childbirth was substantially more common in Pakistani than in Norwegian women living in Oslo. In Norwegian women, low education was associated with lower frequency of child delivery but higher frequency of induced abortion. In Pakistani women, child delivery was not related to education, but induced abortion tended to be more frequent in those with a university education.