Maili Malin|Mika Gissler
Maternal care and birth outcomes among ethnic minority women in Finland
Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare|Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare
care pregnancy labour great importance every culture studies show people migrant origin barriers obtaining accessible good quality care compared people host society aim study compare access use maternity services outcomes among ethnic minority women singleton birth finlandthe study based data finnish medical birth register 19992001 linked information statistics finland womans country birth citizenship mother tongue study data included 6532 women foreign origin 39 singletons giving singleton birth finland 19992001 compared 158469 finnish origin singletonsmost women migrated last fifteen years mainly russia baltic countries somalia east europe migrant origin women participated substantially prenatal care interventions performed needed pregnancy childbirth varied ethnic groups women african somali origin health problems resulted highest perinatal mortality rates women east europe middle east north africa somalia significant risk low birth weight small gestational age newborns premature newborns found among women middle east north africa south asia primiparous women africa somalia latin america caribbean caesarean sections newborns latin american origin interventions birthdespite good general coverage maternal care among migrant origin women clear variations type treatment given needed african origin women health problems pregnancy childbirth worst perinatal outcomes indicating urgent need targeted preventive special care study results confirm either healthy migrant effect epidemiological paradox according migrant origin women considerable good birth outcomes