Abstract
BackgroundInternational migration and the number of migrant women who experience pregnancy and childbirth in receiving countries have significantly increased in the last two decades. Migrant women often have unmet social and economic needs during pregnancy, and are more likely to have problems unaddressed by health care systems. In this qualitative study, we explored migrant women’s perceptions and experiences of health during pregnancy and postpartum, while participating in a perinatal program offered through a community-based organization. Additionally, we examined sociocultural factors that might have shaped women’s health upon migration to the Canadian city of Edmonton, Alberta.MethodsA community-based participatory research approach was used to engage migrant women connected to a community-based perinatal program in Edmonton. A focused ethnography was conducted with four Northeast African communities (Eritrean, Ethiopian, Oromo and Somali), and involved 10 focus groups with women (n = 8, per group) and direct observations of weekly perinatal program activities. Data generation and analysis occurred concurrently, and all generated data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis to inductively derive codes and categories.ResultsWomen expressed their perceptions and experiences of health during pregnancy and postpartum by contrasting their countries of origin with Canada, respectively identified as “back home” and “here”. Differences in social support and the physical environment (both natural and built) between “back home” and “here” were commonly described as factors that shaped their opportunities to eat healthy, be physically active and emotionally well before and after having a baby “here”. Overall, women described that in Canada they lacked the social and environmental factors perceived as key enablers of healthy pregnancies and postpartum.ConclusionA complex network of factors seem to influence Northeast African women’s health during pregnancy and postpartum upon migration to Canada. It is of the utmost importance to provide these women with the immediate sociocultural and environmental factors they need to successfully thrive during pregnancy and postpartum, especially while establishing social and support networks “here”.
Highlights
International migration and the number of migrant women who experience pregnancy and childbirth in receiving countries have significantly increased in the last two decades
Given that our focused ethnography was centered on pregnancy and postpartum experiences, in a contained context and within a shorter time frame, it required prior familiarity with women’s communities [16]
We opened the first focus group discussion with women from Ethiopian, Eritrean, Oromo and Somali communities with a general question of what it meant for them to be healthy during pregnancy and postpartum
Summary
International migration and the number of migrant women who experience pregnancy and childbirth in receiving countries have significantly increased in the last two decades. A study of migrant women (including refugees, asylum seekers, undocumented and economic immigrants) living in two Canadian cities that receive the highest number of migrants has shown that migrant women are more than twice as likely as Canadian-born women to have problems unaddressed by the health care system [5]. This could be related to the fact that refugees, asylum seekers and undocumented immigrants (i.e., individuals lacking proper visa documentation to reside in Canada) are entitled to fewer benefits and services, and might fear jeopardizing settlement in Canada by accessing health and social services [5, 9]
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