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Reduced Male:Female Ratio at Birth in Small Islands

Journal Authors: 
Issue: 
DOI: 
10.7727/wimj.2014.195
Pages: 
177–9

ABSTRACT

Background: The male:female ratio at birth (M/F: male births divided by total births) is anticipated to approximate 0.515. The M/F in Micronesia in the Pacific Ocean has been noted to be higher than anticipated. This study analysed M/F in island populations available from a World Health Organization dataset.

Methods: The following islands were identified from the dataset as being sufficiently complete for analysis: Bahamas, Barbados, Puerto Rico, Trinidad and Tobago, and Mauritius.

Results: There were 540 8629 live births available for analysis over the period 1960–2009 with an overall M/F of 0.5106 (95% CL 0.5101, 0.5110). There were no secular trends in M/F.

Conclusion:  The M/F in these equatorial islands is lower than anticipated, and the reason for this is unknown.

Accepted: 
06 Sep, 2014
PDF Attachment: 
e-Published: 28 Oct, 2015
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