As the nation discusses whether migration is beneficial or not, it turns out that migration is not good for immigrant mothers. Well, not in the long term.

The longer ethnic minority women live in the UK the more likely they are to smoke during pregnancy or give up breast-feeding early, says a study in the British Medical Journal online (April 11).

They're OK when they get here. Compared with British or Irish white mothers, mothers from ethnic minority groups are less likely to smoke (15 per cent as against 37 per cent) or consume alcohol during pregnancy (14 per cent: 37 per cent). And they are more likely to start breast-feeding (86 per cent: 69 per cent) and breast-feed for at least four months (40 per cent: 27 per cent).

But the vices kick in the longer they stay. Among mothers from ethnic minority groups, first and second-generation mothers are more likely to smoke during pregnancy, less likely to start breast-feeding and less likely to continue breast-feeding than immigrants. And it gets worse. For every additional five years spent in the UK, immigrant mothers are 32 per cent more likely to smoke while pregnant and 5 per cent less likely to breast-feed for at least four months.

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• Don't be surprised by the answers you get

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The researchers studied nearly 6,500 British/Irish white mothers and more than 2,000 mothers from ethnic minority groups. They conclude: “Health professionals should not underestimate the likelihood of women engaging in risky health behaviours because of their ethnicity.”

In an editorial in the BMJ, Krista M. Perreira, associate professor at the University of North Carolina, says that greater access to alcohol and tobacco, along with fewer restrictions on their use, may contribute to the findings. Mothers may also find that their improved socioeconomic situation makes it more affordable.

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