Perinatal Care for South Asian Immigrant Women and Women Born in Canada: Telephone Survey of Users

Abstract

BackgroundPrevious research findings suggest that pregnant immigrant women receive less adequate perinatal care than pregnant non-immigrant women. This study was designed to assess the use of perinatal care services by newly immigrated South Asian women and Canadian-born women, and to determine any perceived barriers to receiving care. MethodWe conducted a telephone survey of women who delivered at an academic community hospital in Calgary, Alberta. Two groups of women were interviewed at seven weeks postpartum: South Asian women who had immigrated within the last three years, and Canadian-born women of any ethnicity. Women who spoke Hindi, Punjabi, and/or English were eligible. Interviews consisted mainly of closed-ended questions. The main outcomes we sought were the proportion of women receiving perinatal care (such as attending prenatal classes or fetal monitoring), and any perceived barriers to care. ResultsThirty South Asian and 30 Canadian-born women were interviewed. Most women in each group reported having pregnancy evaluations carried out. Fewer South Asian women than Canadian-born women understood the purpose of symphysis–fundal height measurement (60% vs. 90%, P = 0.015) and tests for Group B streptococcus (33% vs. 73%, P = 0.004). Thirteen percent of South Asian and 23% of Canadian-born women attended prenatal classes. Most women (87–97%) believed they had received all necessary medical care. Language barriers were most commonly reported by South Asian women (33–43% vs. 0 for Canadian-born women). ConclusionSouth Asian women considered language to be the most common barrier to receiving perinatal care. Such barriers may be overcome by wider availability of multilingual staff and educational materials in a variety of formats including illustrated books and videos.