Perinatal challenges for mothers of Haitian origin and their newborns in French Guiana: a historical cohort from 2013 to 2021.

OBJECTIVES

To describe the sociodemographic characteristics of mothers of Haitian origin and the obstetric and neonatal outcomes of their newborns born in French Guiana between 2013 and 2021 in order to identify specific vulnerabilities within this population.

DESIGN

A descriptive, population-based study using data from a comprehensive birth cohort including all deliveries in French Guiana from 2013 to 2021.

SETTING

All maternity units in French Guiana, a French overseas territory located in South America.

PARTICIPANTS

A total of 66 485 live births were recorded during the study period, including 14 065 (21.2%) births to mothers of Haitian origin.

PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Sociodemographic characteristics, antenatal care indicators and neonatal outcomes were compared between mothers of Haitian origin and mothers of other origins. Adjusted odds ratios (aOR) and 95% CI were calculated for key outcomes.

RESULTS

Compared with mothers of other origins, Haitian mothers had higher odds of delivering a newborn small for gestational age (aOR=1.41, 95% CI 1.32 to 1.50), neonatal hospitalisation at birth (aOR=1.19, 95% CI 1.11 to 1.28), having an insufficient number of antenatal visits (aOR=1.32, 95% CI 1.26 to 1.38) and lacking health insurance coverage (aOR=2.83, 95% CI 2.52 to 3.17). Conversely, they had a lower risk of adolescent pregnancy (<20 years; aOR=0.24, 95% CI 0.21 to 0.26). The risk of preterm birth did not differ significantly between groups (p=0.24).

CONCLUSION

Mothers of Haitian origin in French Guiana experience distinct social and perinatal vulnerabilities. Strengthening equitable access to healthcare and implementing targeted community-based interventions are essential to improve maternal and neonatal health outcomes in this population.