Contrasting “back home” and “here”: how Northeast African migrant women perceive and experience health during pregnancy and postpartum in Canada
Abstract
International 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. Women 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. Thus a 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”.
Notes
Location
Edmonton, Alberta
Integration timeline
At what point during the integration process the study was conducted?
Women who had been living in Canada between 1 and 36 months.
Key Recommendations
Programs to create the sociocultural context that women experienced
with pregnancy and postpartum in their countries of origin; offering them oppurtunities to socialize and discuss their social needs, so that they feel socially included in Canada.
Key populations
Northeast African migrants
Key findings
The accounts of Northeast African migrant women in this study show a contrast in how they perceived their health during pregnancy and postpartum in Canada compared to thier countries of origin. The main finding of the study is that the participants considered Canada unhealthy for them in terms lacking social support and healthy physical environment during pregnancy. For instance, they received emotional and instrumental support from extended family members in their countries origin. In Canada, however, they not only suffer from social support, bu they also have limited access to the necessary resources to eat healthy and be physically active.
Open-access – Yes
https://equityhealthj.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12939-016-0369-x
Gaps identified
NA
Community organizations
The Multicultural Health Brokers (MCHB) Cooperative