Maternal health among women with refugee backgrounds: Healthcare services during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period in Norway

This PhD project explores maternal health among women with refugee backgrounds, with a focus on women's experiences with the Norwegian healthcare service during pregnancy, child birth and the time after birth.

From the left: Amina Sharif Mohamud, Hilde Sjøbø Asbjørnsen, Nadiye Seg. Emma Gabriel Alexander og Fungisai Gwanzura Ottemöller Photo: Hilde Sjøbø Asbjørnsen for UiB

Affiliation

Duration

August 2022–October 2026

About the research project

The goal of equitable healthcare services for a diverse population in Norway has not yet been achieved, and there remain significant knowledge gaps in women's health. More insight is needed into how Norway can ensure equitable and holistic care during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period for women with refugee backgrounds.

This research project focuses on:

Gaining insight into women with refugee backgrounds’ experiences and perceptions regarding pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum care in Norway

Exploring how healthcare services at the municipal and societal level targeting women with refugee backgrounds function in practice

Aim:

To identify maternal health care factors that are important for women with refugee backgrounds, it is important to learn more about their experiences and perceptions of what constitutes good quality care, considering their diverse backgrounds, their journeys as refugees, and current life situations resettling in a new country and becoming/being mothers. Moreover, this may contribute to knowledge about how to provide equitable maternal health care in Norway for diverse groups of women. By illuminating the experiences and perceptions of women with refugee backgrounds, this research can bring valuable insight into possible health promotion interventions in maternal health care beyond the health services perspective. Exploring how maternal health care facilities and community level interventions for women with refugee backgrounds work in practice may provide more insight into identifying mechanisms that are working well, potential challenges/and gaps in services, and possibly uncover other processes that may be important for the provision of more equitable maternal health care.

Action Research:

We aim to create a closer link between practice and research through collaboration with local actors such as maternal health clinics, voluntary organizations, and refugee introduction programs. Annual feedback meetings are also arranged. In collaboration with Bergen Women's Public Health Association, three multicultural doulas are participating in the project as co-researchers: Amina Sharif Mohamud, Nadiye Seg, and Emma Gabriel Alexander. Working with co-researchers allows us to gain deeper insight into their lived experiences—both personally, as they share their stories of resettling and giving birth in Norway, and professionally, through their work as multicultural birth supporters.

Key findings of the project

The following were the key-findings in the article "I was only seen as a birthing woman":

Women experienced structural barriers during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period. These included: language barriers; lack of social networks; and limited knowledge of the healthcare system.
Adapting to a new country while raising children intensified these challenges and often negatively affected their experiences during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period.
The study emphasizes the necessity of understanding and addressing how factors such as ethnicity, socioeconomic status, gender, and migration background influence individuals' health needs. By considering these factors in the design and implementation of both health and social services, we can ensure more equitable services for all.
Studies indicate that to ensure equitable healthcare services, it should become a political priority to consider the needs and experiences of women with refugee backgrounds.
The study also highlights the importance of services being adapted and properly funded, and that women with refugee backgrounds are given the opportunity for active participation and involvement.