Preferences for birth center care in the Netherlands: an exploration of ethnic differences

Dominique Lescure,Therese A Wiegers,Sanneke Schepman,Ellen Verbakel,Ronald Batenburg

doi:10.1186/s12884-017-1254-3

Dominique Lescure, Therese A Wiegers + Show 3 more

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https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-017-1254-3

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Abstract

BackgroundTo examine the preferences for comprehensive services and facilities in a new proposed birth center which will be established in a large Dutch city, specifically among pregnant women from different ethnic backgrounds.MethodsThe analyses of this study were based on a survey among 200 pregnant women living in The Hague, the Netherlands in 2011. Multiple linear regression was applied to analyze if preferences differ by ethnic background, controlling for various other predictors.ResultsPregnant women had relatively strong preferences for comprehensive services and facilities to be offered by the new proposed birth center compared to both other dimensions of birth center care: extensive practical information and comfortable accommodation. With regard to ethnic differences, non-Dutch women had higher preferences for comprehensive care compared to Dutch women. This difference between Dutch and non-Dutch women increased with their level of education.ConclusionsEspecially for non-Dutch women, birth centers that are able to provide comprehensive services and facilities can potentially be a good setting in which to give birth compared to hospitals or at home. In particular, higher educated non-Dutch women had a preference for the personalized care that could be offered by this new birth center.

Highlights

To examine the preferences for comprehensive services and facilities in a new proposed birth center which will be established in a large Dutch city, among pregnant women from different ethnic backgrounds
Examining ethnic differences in preferences for the proposed birth center care based on multiple regression analysis (Fig. 1 and Table 8 in Appendix), we found that Turkish (B = 0.274) and Moroccan women (B = 0.346) attached more value to the importance of comprehensive birth center care during pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period
In this paper we investigated the preferences for a specific form of birth center care among pregnant women with different ethnic backgrounds living in The Hague, the Netherlands

Summary

Introduction

To examine the preferences for comprehensive services and facilities in a new proposed birth center which will be established in a large Dutch city, among pregnant women from different ethnic backgrounds. Hospital-based centers, or alongside centers that are located in close proximity to hospitals, are designed to provide an intermediate option of care between home and hospital birth. In these centers the mutual collaboration and/or affiliation with a hospital (for births with medical complications) is facilitated. These centers are expected to provide a safe and accessible place of birth as well as personalized care that relies on meeting specific health needs. The same Dutch study, showed that some women disliked their experience in a birth center either because of busy birth attendants or because they were expected to leave quickly after the birth [12]

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