BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology
Volume 115, Issue 13, 2008, Pages 1630-1640

Somali women and their pregnancy outcomes postmigration: Data from six receiving countries (Article)

Small R.* , Gagnon A. , Gissler M. , Zeitlin J. , Bennis M. , Glazier R.H. , Haelterman E. , Martens G. , McDermott S. , Urquia M. , Vangen S.
  • a Mother and Child Health Research, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia, Mother and Child Health Research, La Trobe University, 324-328 Lt Lonsdale Street, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia
  • b McGill University, McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, QC, Canada
  • c STAKES (National Research and Development Centre for Welfare and Health), Helsinki, Finland, Nordic School of Public Health, Gothenburg, Sweden
  • d INSERM, UMR S149, Epidemiological Research Unit on Perinatal and Women's Health, Paris, France, Université Pierre et Marie Curie-Paris 6, Paris, France
  • e Centre for Epidemiology, Socialstyrelsen (National Board of Health and Welfare), Stockholm, Sweden
  • f Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences, Toronto, ON, Canada, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
  • g Observatoire de la Santé et du Social de Bruxelles-Capitale, Bruxelles, Belgium, Service de Pédiatrie, CHU Saint Pierre, Brussels, Belgium
  • h Studiecentrum Voor Perinatale Epidemiologie (SPE), Flanders, Belgium
  • i Public Health Agency of Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada
  • j University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
  • k National Resource Center for Women's Health, Rikshospitalet, Oslo, Norway

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to investigate pregnancy outcomes in Somali-born women compared with those women born in each of the six receiving countries: Australia, Belgium, Canada, Finland, Norway and Sweden. Design: Meta-analyses of routinely collected data on confinements and births. Setting: National or regional perinatal datasets spanning 3-6 years between 1997 and 2004 from six countries. Sample: A total of 10 431 Somali-born women and 2 168 891 receiving country-born women. Methods: Meta-analyses to compare outcomes for Somali-born and receiving country-born women across the six countries. Main outcome measures: Events of labour (induction, epidural use and proportion of women using no analgesia), mode of birth (spontaneous vaginal birth, operative vaginal birth and caesarean section) and infant outcomes (preterm birth, birthweight, Apgar at 5 minutes, stillbirths and neonatal deaths). Results: Compared with receiving country-born women, Somali-born women were less likely to give birth preterm (pooled OR 0.72, 95% CI 0.64-0.81) or to have infants of low birthweight (pooled OR 0.89, 95% CI 0.82-0.98), but there was an excess of caesarean sections, particularly in first births (pooled OR 1.41, 95% CI 1.25-1.59) and an excess of stillbirths (pooled OR 1.86, 95% CI 1.38-2.51). Conclusions: This analysis has identified a number of disparities in outcomes between Somali-born women and their receiving country counterparts. The disparities are not readily explained and they raise concerns about the provision of maternity care for Somali women postmigration. Review of maternity care practices followed by implementation and careful evaluation of strategies to improve both care and outcomes for Somali women is needed. © 2008 The Authors.

Author Keywords

Migration Somali pregnancy outcomes caesarean section Stillbirth

Index Keywords

maternal care Finland Australia Norway human priority journal premature labor Sweden labor induction Canada female Apgar score pregnancy Belgium Article low birth weight pregnancy outcome major clinical study adult migration Somalia vaginal delivery stillbirth Birth Weight cesarean section newborn death
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84947648689&doi=10.1111%2fj.1471-0528.2008.01942.x&partnerID=40&md5=d3c45b9405ade921d38d3eb15456a401
DOI: 10.1111/j.1471-0528.2008.01942.x
ISSN: 14700328
Cited by: 109
Original Language: English