A community-based survey on Syrian refugee women’s health and its predictors in Şanliurfa, Turkey

Abstract

Reproductive characteristics, mental health symptoms, micronutrient deficiencies, and symptoms of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) were determined among married Syrian refugee women aged 15-49 years who were living outside of camps in 2015, using probability sampling. Of the 458 participants, 51.3 percent married before the age of 18 years. Early-age marriages and number of desired children increased after the war. In multivariable analyses, education (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.2; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.2-1.3) and length of stay in Şanlıurfa (aOR = 1.2; 95% CI = 1.1-1.2) were independently associated with early marriage. Approximately 16 percent of women were pregnant, and 26.7 percent of them had not received prenatal care; 47.7 percent had had a pregnancy loss; 50.8 percent reported symptoms of STIs. Of those who were sexually active, 37.8 percent were not using contraception. The prevalence of iron, B, and folic acid deficiencies was 50 percent, 45.6 percent, and 10.5 percent, respectively. Early marriage (aOR = 2.2; 95% CI = 1.4-3.5) and number of desired children (aOR = 5.03; 95% CI = 3.2-7.9) were associated with not using contraception. Most (89.7 percent) women reported at least two mental health symptoms; lack of social support (aOR = 2.6; 95% CI = 1.3-5.3), language barrier (aOR = 2.3; 95% CI = 1.01-5.2), and B deficiency (aOR = 1.8; 95% CI = 1.01-3.4) were associated with such symptoms. The findings demonstrate the need for reproductive health and psychosocial services.

Pregnancy Related Health Care Needs in Refugees—A Current Three Center Experience in Europe

“…Immigration into Europe has reached an all-time high, and provision of coordinated healthcare poses an enormous challenge for receiving communities [ 1 , 23 , 24 ]. Medical care is key in management during humanitarian crises as the current, and especially for refugee woman, that are at increased risk for adverse pregnancy outcomes, caretaking strategies need to be adapted [ 3 , 25 , 26 ]. Accordingly, we analyzed pregnancy rates and pregnancy-associated primary healthcare utilization in three representative cohorts of newly arriving migrants in Western Europe.…”

“…These pregnancy rates are comparable with previous publications. While it is challenging to obtain accurate statistics on the exact frequency of pregnancies among female migrants, the women’s refugee commission reports that at any given time 0.6 to 14 percent of all displaced women between 15 and 49 years could be pregnant, and other authors estimate that, depending on country of origin, even higher proportions of up to 25% of female refugees of fertile age could be pregnant [ 22 , 26 , 30 ].…”

The attitudes of refugee women in Turkey towards family planning

“…during pregnancy, preterm birth and spontaneous abortion, and face problems like high fertility and many other reproductive health problems due to insufficient use of family planning (FP) (Aydin, Korukcu, & Kabukcuoglu, 2017;Buyuktiryaki, Canpolat, Dizdar, Okur, & Simsek, 2015;PMDEMP, 2014;Simsek, Yentur Doni, Hilali, & Yildirimkaya, 2017). All of these problems can be alleviated to a great extent by accessing health care services.…”

A Qualitative Analysis of Knowledge, Attitudes, and Perceptions of Family Planning Among Syrian Refugees in Lebanon

“…Additionally, child brides are more likely to experience intimate partner violence and get pregnant sooner than brides aged over 18 [13]. Furthermore, Alnuiami et al found a relationship between maternal age under 19 and low birth weight [14] and in Turkey, where almost half of all women marry before the age of 18, approximately 50% of pregnancies end in miscarriage or stillbirth [15].…”

“…Earlier research also provides insight on current FP usage as well as knowledge and attitudes about FP among displaced Syrian refugees. In 2014, only 35% of Syrian participants in Lebanon were using FP [26] and in Turkey, 38% of participants had an unmet contraceptive need [15]. In Jordan many women accepted FP, but beliefs about fertility hindered use of available services, particularly among younger participants [27].…”