About this Research Topic
Over the past twenty years, armed conflict, societal discrimination, and economic insecurity have resulted in unprecedented migration to Western industrialized countries. Upon arrival in their host countries, migrant parents often face a unique set of challenges. In particular, there is mounting evidence that the maternity needs of migrant mothers have not been adequately met. The reasons are multi-factorial, including language, communication, stigma, unconscious bias, the lack of health literacy, as well as the wider determinants of health that impact on their health behaviors and their access to care. While health systems and institutional structures are responsible for the gaps in services, investment in public health interventions and evaluations of their effectiveness to address these issues is generally very limited. In addition, some groups of migrants may have specific health beliefs, experiences in their countries of origin, and migration histories that can impact whether and how they access care in their host countries.
While there have been some efforts made to help alleviate these problems, such as by training health advocates and health system navigators among service providers and the development of new, co-designed and targeted maternity care interventions, research focused on addressing the complex, unmet needs of migrant mothers is still scarce. This Research Topic seeks to fill this gap, drawing on a range of research methodologies, to provide insights into the maternity needs of migrant mothers, including those who are newly settled and have been granted residency, current asylum seekers, as well as refugees.
This collection will aim to contribute significantly to improved maternity healthcare provision and practice based on robust research evidence from a range of international contributors.
This Research Topic welcomes articles focused on demonstrating current practice and experience with maternity care for migrant women as well as new proposed models of care. Contributions should aim to shape how future health interventions can be effectively implemented and sustainably embedded within health systems to better provide care for migrant mothers.
Topics of interest in relation to migrant mothers include:
• reports and evaluations of maternity services and interventions in care provision
• evaluations of perinatal mental health support
• community engagement and participatory approaches to determine specific needs, preferences and develop culturally sensitive interventions
• training in cultural health capital and transcultural competencies
• exploration of new models of maternity care e.g. voluntary and community collaborative maternity care initiatives
• initiatives to meet health literacy and communication needs, including novel digital solutions such as pregnancy apps
• comparative research examining the challenges and opportunities in migrant maternity care
While there have been some efforts made to help alleviate these problems, such as by training health advocates and health system navigators among service providers and the development of new, co-designed and targeted maternity care interventions, research focused on addressing the complex, unmet needs of migrant mothers is still scarce. This Research Topic seeks to fill this gap, drawing on a range of research methodologies, to provide insights into the maternity needs of migrant mothers, including those who are newly settled and have been granted residency, current asylum seekers, as well as refugees.
This collection will aim to contribute significantly to improved maternity healthcare provision and practice based on robust research evidence from a range of international contributors.
This Research Topic welcomes articles focused on demonstrating current practice and experience with maternity care for migrant women as well as new proposed models of care. Contributions should aim to shape how future health interventions can be effectively implemented and sustainably embedded within health systems to better provide care for migrant mothers.
Topics of interest in relation to migrant mothers include:
• reports and evaluations of maternity services and interventions in care provision
• evaluations of perinatal mental health support
• community engagement and participatory approaches to determine specific needs, preferences and develop culturally sensitive interventions
• training in cultural health capital and transcultural competencies
• exploration of new models of maternity care e.g. voluntary and community collaborative maternity care initiatives
• initiatives to meet health literacy and communication needs, including novel digital solutions such as pregnancy apps
• comparative research examining the challenges and opportunities in migrant maternity care
Keywords: migration, migrant health, migrant mothers, maternal health services, migrant needs
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
