Observational studyBMJ open2020
Do recent immigrants have similar obstetrical care and perinatal complications as long-term residents? A retrospective exploratory cohort study in Brussels.
Observational study in BMJ open, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 17 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effects of Race, Ethnicity and Socioeconomic Deprivation on Postpartum Haemorrhage in High-Income Countries: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.BJOG : an international journal of obstetrics and gynaecology · 2025Pooled it
- Perinatal Care for Women with Foreign Citizenship in Trentino (North-East Italy): Retrospective Cohort Epidemiological Study.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Article
- Evaluation of the Risk of Adverse Maternal and Neonatal Outcomes Among Immigrant and Native-Born Women: A Retrospective Observational Analysis.Health science reports · 2025Article
- Disparities in Obstetric and Anaesthetic Care Between Migrant and Native Populations in High-Income Countries: A Narrative Review.Acta medica academica · 2025Review
- Perinatal Outcomes of Immigrant Mothers and Their Infants Born Very Preterm across Germany.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Gestational Diabetes and International Migration.Journal of the Endocrine Society · 2022Review
- Association between thyroid autoimmunity and gestational diabetes mellitus in euthyroid women.European thyroid journal · 2022Article
- Maternal health care utilization and the obstetric outcomes of undocumented women in Finland - a retrospective register-based study.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2021Article
- Immigration and Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes in an Italian Free Care Hospital.International journal of women's health · 2021Article
- Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeRecent immigrants (RIs) face various barriers affecting quality of care. The main research question assessed whether perinatal complications (during pregnancy, labour, delivery and neonatal period) were similar in RIs to those in long-term residents (LTRs). The secondary question assessed whether prenatal and perinatal care was similar in the two groups.
methodsThis is a monocentric observational study, carried out in Brussels between November 2016 and March 2017 (n=1365). We surveyed 892 pregnant women during prenatal consultations and immediate postpartum period in order to identify RIs of less than 3 years (n=230, 25%) and compared them with LTRs (n=662). Sociodemographic data, baseline health status, prenatal care, obstetrical and neonatal complications were compared between these two groups. Multivariable binary logistic regression was conducted to examine the occurrence of perinatal complications (during pregnancy, labour and delivery, and neonatal period) between RIs and LTRs after adjustment for potential confounders.
resultsRIs were living more frequently in precarious conditions. RIs were younger (p<0.001) and had a lower body mass index (p<0.001) than LTRs. Prenatal care was often delayed in RIs, resulting in fewer evaluations during the first trimester (p<0.001). They had a lower prevalence of gestational diabetes mellitus (p<0.05) and less complications during the pregnancy even after adjustment for confounding factors. Similar obstetrical care during labour and delivery occurred. After adjustment for confounding factors, no differences in labour and delivery complications were observed. Although RIs' newborns had a lower umbilical cord blood pH (<0.05), a lower 1 min of life Apgar score (p<0.01) and more frequently required respiratory assistance (p<0.05), no differences in the composite endpoint of neonatal complications were observed. No increase in complications in the RI group was detected whatever the considered period.
conclusionRIs had less optimal prenatal care but this did not result in more obstetrical and perinatal complications.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.