Social Determinants of Health in Pregnancy, Postpartum and early Motherhood: the impact of Migration

Abstract

The present investigation sought to establish itself as an interface between Public Health and Social Medicine. Its main purpose relied in assessing theoretical inequalities in access, utilization and quality of maternal health care in immigrant recent mothers and its interaction with social determinants of health. The underlying research plan was designed to explore specific clinical, individual and social determinants in maternal health (during pregnancy and postpartum). Another specific goal is the assessment of access, utilization and quality of the received care (adequacy and satisfaction of responses offered by the public health system), establishing a comparison between health status, perceptions and needs of immigrant and native women in the same conditions and motherhood stages. Data was collected in all reference hospitals and several civilian associations of Porto metropolitan area, to better reach the targeted population: recent immigrant mothers from the countries with the highest representation in Portugal at the date (Brazil, African countries of Portuguese speaking and Eastern European countries), as well as Portuguese women (for comparison). To accomplish the defined objectives, three studies were performed using data obtained in all defined backgrounds, following different methodological approaches and designs (qualitative and quantitative strategies).

Keywords

• determinantes sociales de la salud
• embarazo y puerperio
• equidad en la asistencia sanitaria
• migración
• salud materna