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Professionals’ perspectives on barriers for timely antenatal care for migrant and ethnic minority women in the UK and the Netherlands

Research Output:
Contribution to conference
Paper
 Peer-review

Open access

Sustainable Development Goals

  • SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being
    SDG 3 Good Health and Well

Abstract

Background Antenatal care (ANC) is provided to women during pregnancy by healthcare professionals and is important to promote health and well-being of women and babies. Women from ethnic minority and migrant backgrounds are likely to start ANC later and to attend fewer appointments than recommended compared to white women in high-income European countries. These women and their babies are more likely to experience negative health outcomes. This study explored the perspectives of maternity care professionals on barriers for timely ANC initiation for ethnic minority and migrant women in the United Kingdom (UK) and The Netherlands. Methods We conducted qualitative semi structured in-depth interviews with 19 maternity care professionals (eight and eleven from the UK and The Netherlands respectively) including nurses, midwives, general practitioners, obstetricians and NGO representatives. All interviews were conducted virtually on Teams or Zoom and were recorded, transcribed and analysed using a thematic approach. Results Professionals in the UK and The Netherlands perceived more or less similar barriers for ethnic minority and migrant women for timely ANC initiation. As reflected in the accounts, these barriers operated at individual, health system and wider societal levels, and included negative interactions with antenatal care providers, women’s and community’s lack of trust in the health system, differences in spoken language between women and professionals, cultural differences, role of family and wider networks, and difficulties in reaching care. Perceived measures to facilitate access included skill development of healthcare professionals; educating women and building awareness in the community about how to navigate the healthcare system; integration of preventative psychosocial care into maternity services and continuity of care. Conclusion Similarity in perceived barriers and mitigation measures indicated the potential for developing and implementing targeted cross-country strategies and programs to facilitate timely healthcare acess for ethnic minority and migrant women in high-income European countries.

Publication Information

Output type

Research Output:
Contribution to conference
Paper
 Peer-review

Original language

English

Publication milestones

  • Published - 10/07/2025

Publication status

Published - 10/07/2025

Publication IDs

  • handle.net: 10547/626741

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