Access to prenatal care and maternal health for immigrant women.

Introduction: In France in 2015, 22% of live births were to women born abroad. Consistent with the European literature, recent research indicates an increased risk of maternal mortality or severe maternal morbidity (SMM) among these women. Our objective is to analyze, in relation to migration status, social inequalities in access to prenatal care and maternal health services using French data. Materials and methods: The data are drawn from four French studies: the Confidential National Survey on Maternal Deaths (ENCMM) 2007–2012, the Epimoms study on severe maternal morbidity conducted in six regions in 2012–2013, the prospective PreCARE cohort of women who gave birth in 2010–2011 at four maternity hospitals within the GHU Paris-Nord, and a qualitative study conducted in 2016 among pregnant women with hypertension. Results: Immigrant women have an increased risk of maternal death, particularly those born in sub-Saharan Africa (RR: 3.4 [95% CI: 2.3–5.1]). They also have a significantly higher risk of adverse maternal outcomes (adjusted OR: 1.8 [1.4–2.4]), primarily related to hypertensive complications and sepsis. This study further highlights a very high rate of inadequate prenatal care as well as certain disparities in care for women born in sub-Saharan Africa. Conclusion: French data, which demonstrate the existence of social inequalities in maternal health between immigrant women and women born in France, are consistent with data from the international literature. The explanatory hypothesis of quantitatively and qualitatively lower prenatal care is further supported by these results. These findings underscore the need for further research into barriers to access to the healthcare system and to quality care for pregnant immigrant women, and in particular the implications that perceptions and discrimination may have in the development of maternal and perinatal health inequalities.

Author(s): Sauvegrain P, Stewart Z, Gonthier C, Saurel Cubizolles MJ, Saucedo M, Deneux Tharaux C, Azria E

Publishing year: 2017

Pages: 389-95

Weekly Epidemiological Bulletin, 2017, n° 19-20, p. 389-95

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