Sarantaki Antigoni, Metallinou Dimitra, Kyritsi Roula, Diamanti Athina, Lykeridou Katerina
Midwifery Department, Faculty of Health and Caring Sciences, University of West Attica, Athens, Greece.
Mater Sociomed. 2020 Dec;32(4):294-298. doi: 10.5455/msm.2020.32.294-298.
African refugee women constitute a growing group of maternity service users in Greece. Being a refugee is considered a risk factor in itself for poorer maternal and neonatal health outcomes. These women additionally, are at high risk of perinatal complications, often due to misconceptions or absence of interpretation between providers and patients through different cultural concepts. Consequently, midwives may feel uncertainly experienced when provide perinatal care for a culturally diverse patient population.
The aim of the study was to investigate perinatal cultural aspects and practices of African refugee pregnant women in Greece, in order to increase cultural awareness and improve midwifery care in a culturally-sensitive way.
Forty-two (n=42) African pregnant women who lived in a "Reception and Identification Center" on a greek island named "Samos", were included in the study. Women were selected by "simple random sampling" and asked to complete anonymously, with assistance of interpreters, a questionnaire that was devised by the authors with open-ended and closed-ended questions.
Women were aged between 19-38 years old. The 50% (n=21) of them were from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, 28.6% (n=12) from Ghana and 21.4% (n=9) from Cameroon. Major themes emerging from the data analysis were: presence of antenatal care in African countries, potentiality of abortions, complications in previous pregnancy, supplement receipt in previous pregnancy after healthcarers' consultation, decision of birth place, support of traditional birth attendants' during pregnancy and birth, consumption of culturally acceptable food during pregnancy and birth, culturally accepted disposal of placenta, postpartum ceremonies for the baby and newborn's navel care.
Increased understanding of the pluralistic African perinatal cultural aspects is essential. Inclusion of cultural insight and/or family members in decision making and implementation of training programmes culturally-oriented for midwives, can fulfil women's health, social needs and expectations.
在希腊，非洲难民女性构成了日益壮大的孕产妇服务使用者群体。成为难民本身就被视为导致孕产妇和新生儿健康状况较差的一个风险因素。此外，这些女性还面临着很高的围产期并发症风险，这往往是由于提供者与患者之间因不同文化观念而产生误解或缺乏翻译造成的。因此，当为文化背景多样的患者群体提供围产期护理时，助产士可能会感到经验不足。
本研究的目的是调查希腊非洲难民孕妇的围产期文化方面和做法，以便提高文化意识并以文化敏感的方式改善助产护理。
42名居住在希腊萨摩斯岛一个“接待和识别中心”的非洲孕妇被纳入研究。通过“简单随机抽样”选择这些女性，并要求她们在口译员的协助下匿名填写作者设计的一份包含开放式和封闭式问题的问卷。
这些女性年龄在19至38岁之间。其中50%（n = 21）来自刚果民主共和国，28.6%（n = 12）来自加纳，21.4%（n = 9）来自喀麦隆。数据分析中出现的主要主题包括：非洲国家的产前护理情况、堕胎可能性、既往妊娠并发症、既往妊娠在医护人员咨询后接受补充剂情况、分娩地点的决定、孕期和分娩期间传统助产士的支持、孕期和分娩期间食用文化上可接受的食物、文化上可接受的胎盘处理方式、婴儿的产后仪式和新生儿的肚脐护理。
增进对多元的非洲围产期文化方面的理解至关重要。在为助产士制定的文化导向培训计划的决策和实施过程中纳入文化洞察力和/或家庭成员，可以满足女性的健康、社会需求和期望。
