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Perinatal outcomes of immigrant women of Turkish, Middle Eastern and North African origin in Berlin, Germany: a comparison of two time periods

Archives of Gynecology and Obstetrics volume 289, pages 505–512 (2014)Cite this article

Abstract

Purpose

Publications based on data from perinatal health registries reported worse perinatal health outcomes among women of Turkish origin. The aim of this study was to compare the perinatal outcomes of women of German and Turkish origin in Berlin in two time periods and to analyze if the situation among the women of Turkish origin has improved over time.

Methods

Datasets of all singleton deliveries from Berlin hospitals for the time periods 1993–1997 (n = 144,600) and 2003–2007 (n = 147,559) were used. Incidence rates resp. prevalences of perinatal health outcomes were computed for women of German and a group of immigrant women mostly of Turkish origin stratified for ‘parity’ and ‘having a partner’. Logistic regression models were computed to test for a change in the odds for adverse perinatal outcomes over time.

Results

The chances for adverse perinatal outcomes were decreasing in the later time period for most measures. For stillbirth, preterm birth and congenital malformations, no differences between women of Turkish and German origin could be found. Differences exist in the utilization of perinatal health care and in the risk for anemia. Among women of Turkish origin, the chance for being anemic is even higher in 2003–2007 compared to 1993–1997.

Conclusions

The perinatal health measures of women of Turkish origin have improved over time. The lower utilization rates of antenatal health care could be the expression of barriers to access the health care for pregnant women with migration background as offered in Germany. A risk group which needs a special focus by health care providers are women without a partner, irrespective of their origin.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Jürgen Pachaly, Dr. Henning Schaefer, and Tilman Reutter, all from Berlin, for their support to the data preparation and analysis.

Conflict of interest

We declare that we have no conflict of interest.

Author information

Affiliations

  1. Department of Epidemiology and International Public Health, School of Public Health, Bielefeld University, Universitätsstraße 25, 33615, Bielefeld, Germany

    Jacob Spallek, Jessica Lehnhardt, Anna Reeske & Oliver Razum

  2. Unit Social Epidemiology, Department of Prevention and Evaluation, Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology—BIPS, Achterstraße 30, 28359, Bremen, Germany

    Anna Reeske

  3. Department of Gynecology, Campus Virchow-Clinic, University Hospital Charité, Berlin, Augustenburger Platz 1, 13353, Berlin, Germany

    Matthias David

Authors
  1. Jacob Spallek
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  2. Jessica Lehnhardt
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  3. Anna Reeske
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  4. Oliver Razum
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  5. Matthias David
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jacob Spallek.

Appendix

Appendix

Table 5 Differences in incidence rates resp. prevalence of perinatal outcomes between women of German and Turkish origin, Berlin (Germany), 1993–1997 (n = 121,009) and 2003–2007 (n = 82,326)
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Spallek, J., Lehnhardt, J., Reeske, A. et al. Perinatal outcomes of immigrant women of Turkish, Middle Eastern and North African origin in Berlin, Germany: a comparison of two time periods. Arch Gynecol Obstet 289, 505–512 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00404-013-2986-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00404-013-2986-6

Keywords

  • Perinatal outcomes
  • Turkish immigrants
  • Germany
  • Changes over time