[Health conditions of immigrant women in Italy].

The number of immigrant women in Italy has increased from 260,000 in 1991 to at least 750,000 in 2003. This article describes the health situation of these women, in particular it deals with reproductive health. Immigrant women are generally young, in good health and they go to the health services mainly for pregnancy, delivery, spontaneous and induced abortion. Forty-eight per cent of acute hospital admissions and 56 per cent of day hospital admissions in 2002 were related to reproduction. Among foreign citizens, the induced abortion rate is three times higher than that reported among Italians, while the risk of spontaneous abortion is similar (97 per thousand and 101 per thousand, respectively). In general, the data show that immigrant women in Italy live in deprived social conditions, which can influence their reproductive choices and their access to health services. In order to take account of their particular needs, it is necessary to modify the health services and plan public health interventions especially for the prevention of induced abortion.