Evaluating Birth Outcomes From a Community-Based Pregnancy Support Program for Refugee Women in Georgia

Refugee women face numerous and unique barriers to sexual and reproductive healthcare and can experience worse pregnancy-related outcomes compared with U.S.-born and other immigrant women. Community-based, culturally tailored programs like Embrace Refugee Birth Support may improve refugee access to...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Frontiers in Global Women's Health 2021-06, Vol.2, p.655409-655409
Main Authors: Mosley, Elizabeth A, Pratt, Michelle, Besera, Ghenet, Clarke, Lasha S, Miller, Heidi, Noland, Tracy, Whaley, Bridget, Cochran, Jennifer, Mack, Amber, Higgins, Melinda
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
birth outcomes
community-based research
doulas
Global Women's Health
perinatal health
pregnancy support
refugees
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Summary:Refugee women face numerous and unique barriers to sexual and reproductive healthcare and can experience worse pregnancy-related outcomes compared with U.S.-born and other immigrant women. Community-based, culturally tailored programs like Embrace Refugee Birth Support may improve refugee access to healthcare and health outcomes, but empirical study is needed to evaluate programmatic benefits. This community-engaged research study is led by the Georgia Doula Access Working Group, including a partnership between academic researchers, Emory Decatur Hospital nurses, and Embrace. We analyzed hospital clinical records ( = 9,136) from 2016 to 2018 to assess pregnancy-related outcomes of Embrace participants ( = 113) and a comparison group of women from the same community and racial/ethnic backgrounds ( = 9,023). We controlled for race, language, maternal age, parity, insurance status, preeclampsia, and diabetes. Embrace participation was significantly associated with 48% lower odds of labor induction (OR = 0.52, = 0.025) and 65% higher odds of exclusive breastfeeding intentions (OR = 1.65, = 0.028). Embrace showed positive but non-significant trends for reduced cesarean delivery (OR = 0.83, = 0.411), higher full-term gestational age (OR = 1.49, = 0.329), and reduced low birthweight (OR = 0.77, = 0.55). We conclude that community-based, culturally tailored pregnancy support programs like Embrace can meet the complex needs of refugee women. Additionally, community-engaged, cross-sector research approaches could ensure the inclusion of both community and clinical perspectives in research design, implementation, and dissemination.
ISSN:2673-5059
2673-5059
DOI:10.3389/fgwh.2021.655409