Top

International Journal of Public Health

Published in:

01-04-2019 | Review

Indigenous women’s access to maternal healthcare services in lower- and middle-income countries: a systematic integrative review

Authors: Shahinoor Akter, Kate Davies, Jane Louise Rich, Kerry Jill Inder

Published in: International Journal of Public Health | Issue 3/2019

Abstract

Objectives

Globally, Indigenous people have lower-health status compared to non-Indigenous people due to unequal access to health care. Barriers or enablers to accessing maternal health services by Indigenous women are not well researched. This review aims to determine accessibility and utilisation of maternal primary healthcare services among Indigenous women in lower- and middle-income countries.

Methods

We conducted a systematic integrative review of published and grey literature published between 2000 and 2017. Studies on maternal healthcare service utilisation by Indigenous women in lower- and middle-income countries were included. From 3092 articles identified, 10 met the eligibility criteria.

Results

The most prominent barrier to accessing maternal primary healthcare services was the top-down nature of intervention programmes, which made programmes culturally unfriendly for Indigenous women. Distance, cost, transport, accommodation, language barriers and lack of knowledge about existing services also impacted access.

Conclusions

Findings provided insights into understanding the gaps in existing policies for Indigenous women and their access to maternal health services. Results suggested that efforts be made to ensure appropriate programmes for Indigenous women’s maternal health right.

Available only for authorised users

Adhikari T, Sahu D, Nair S, Saha KB, Sharma RK, Pandey A (2016) Factors associated with utilization of antenatal care services among tribal women: a study of selected States. Indian J Med Res 144:58–66. https://doi.org/10.4103/0971-5916.193284 CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

Anderson I et al (2016) Indigenous and tribal peoples’ health (The Lancet-Lowitja Institute Global Collaboration): a population study. The Lancet 388:131–157CrossRef

Black RE, Levin C, Walker N, Chou D, Liu L, Temmerman M (2016) Reproductive, maternal, newborn, and child health: key messages from Disease Control Priorities, The Lancet, 3rd edn. The World Bank, Washington. https://doi.org/10.1596/978-1-4648-0348-2_ch12 CrossRef

Corcoran PM, Catling C, Homer CS (2017) Models of midwifery care for Indigenous women and babies: a meta-synthesis. Women Birth 30:77–86. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wombi.2016.08.003 CrossRefPubMed

Cyril S, Smith BJ, Possamai-Inesedy A, Renzaho AMN (2015) Exploring the role of community engagement in improving the health of disadvantaged populations: a systematic review. Glob Health Action. https://doi.org/10.3402/gha.v8.29842 CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

Davy C, Harfield S, McArthur A, Munn Z, Brown A (2016) Access to primary health care services for Indigenous peoples: a framework synthesis. Int J Equity Health 15:163. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12939-016-0450-5 CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

Dhamai BM (2014) An overview of indigenous peoples in Bangladesh. In: Chowdhury MS (ed) Survival under threat: human rights situation of indigenous peoples in Bangladesh. Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact (AIPP), Chiang Mai, pp 10–26

El Arifeen S, Hill K, Ahsan KZ, Jamil K, Nahar Q, Streatfield PK (2014) Maternal mortality in Bangladesh: a countdown to 2015 country case study. The Lancet 384:1366–1374. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736(14)60955-7 CrossRef

Gracey M, King M (2009) Indigenous health part 1: determinants and disease patterns. The Lancet 374:65–75. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736(09)60914-4 CrossRef

Graham W et al (2016) Diversity and divergence: the dynamic burden of poor maternal health. The Lancet 388:2164–2175. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736(16)31533-1 CrossRef

Gulliford M, Figueroa-Munoz J, Morgan M, Hughes D, Gibson B, Beech R, Hudson M (2002) What does ‘access to health care’ mean? J Health Serv Res Policy 7:186–188. https://doi.org/10.1258/135581902760082517 CrossRefPubMed

Harris A, Zhou Y, Liao H, Barclay L, Zeng W, Gao Y (2010) Challenges to maternal health care utilization among ethnic minority women in a resource-poor region of Sichuan Province, China. Health Policy Plan 25:311–318. https://doi.org/10.1093/heapol/czp062 CrossRefPubMed

Ibanez-Cuevas M, Heredia-Pi IB, Meneses-Navarro S, Pelcastre-Villafuerte B, Gonzalez-Block MA (2015) Labor and delivery service use: indigenous women’s preference and the health sector response in the Chiapas Highlands of Mexico. Int J Equity Health. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12939-015-0289-1 CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

International Labour Organization (2016) Sustainable development goals: indigenous peoples in focus. International Labour Organization (ILO). http://www.ilo.org/global/topics/indigenous-tribal/publications/WCMS_503715/lang-en/index.htm. Accessed 15 July 2017

Islam MR (2016) Utilization of maternal health care services among indigenous women in Bangladesh: a study on the Mru tribe. Women Health 57:108–118. https://doi.org/10.1080/03630242.2016.1153020 CrossRefPubMed

Islam MR, Odland JO (2011) Determinants of antenatal and postnatal care visits among Indigenous people in Bangladesh: a study of the Mru community. Rural Remote Health 11:1672. https://doi.org/10.1080/03630242.2016.1153020 CrossRefPubMed

Kildea S, Tracy S, Sherwood J, Magick-Dennis F, Barclay L (2016) Improving maternity services for Indigenous women in Australia: moving from policy to practice. Med J Aust 205:374–379CrossRefPubMed

King M, Smith A, Gracey M (2009) Indigenous health part 2: the underlying causes of the health gap. The Lancet 374:76–85. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736(09)60827-8 CrossRef

Kmet L, Lee R, Cook L (2011) Standard quality assessment criteria for evaluating primary research papers from a variety of fields, 2004. Edmonton, Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research

Lennox C (2013) Addressing health inequalities in the post-2015 development framework. In: Lennox C, Stephens C (eds) Realizing the right to health for minorities and indigenous peoples. Minority Rights Group International, pp 3–13

Målqvist M, Yuan B, Trygg N, Selling K, Thomsen S (2013) Targeted interventions for improved equity in maternal and child health in low-and middle-income settings: a systematic review and meta-analysis. PLoS ONE 8:e66453. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0066453 CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

Manandhar DS et al (2004) Effect of a participatory intervention with women’s groups on birth outcomes in Nepal: cluster-randomised controlled trial. The Lancet 364:970–979. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736(04)17021-9 CrossRef

Moher D, Liberati A, Tetzlaff J, Altman DG, Group P (2009) Preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses: the PRISMA statement. PLoS Med 6:e1000097CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

Mohindra K (2015) Research and the health of indigenous populations in low-and middle-income countries. Health Promot Int. https://doi.org/10.1093/heapro/dav106 CrossRef

Nettleton C, Napolitano DA, Stephens C (2007) An overview of current knowledge of the social determinants of Indigenous health. In: Symposium on the social determinants of Indigenous health, Adelaide

Peiris D, Brown A, Cass A (2008) Addressing inequities in access to quality health care for indigenous people. Can Med Assoc J 179:985–986. https://doi.org/10.1503/cmaj.081445 CrossRef

Ruiz MJ, van Dijk MG, Berdichevsky K, Munguía A, Burks C, García SG (2013) Barriers to the use of maternity waiting homes in indigenous regions of Guatemala: a study of users’ and community members’ perceptions. Cult Health Sex 15:205–218. https://doi.org/10.1080/13691058.2012.751128 CrossRefPubMed

Sachs JD (2015) From millennium development goals to sustainable development goals. The Lancet 379:2206–2211. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736(12)60685-0 CrossRef

Shah R, Bélanger D (2011) Socioeconomic correlates of utilization of maternal health services by tribal women in India. Can Stud Popul 38:83–98CrossRef

Silburn K, Reich H, Anderson I (2016) A global snapshot of indigenous and tribal people’s health, The Lancet-Lowitja Institute Collaboration. The Lowitja Institute, Melbourne

Souza MTd, Silva MDd, Carvalho Rd (2010) Integrative review: what is it? How to do it? Einstein (São Paulo) 8:102–106CrossRef

Stephens C, Nettleton C, Porter J, Willis R, Clark S (2005) Indigenous peoples’ health—why are they behind everyone, everywhere? Lancet. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736(05)66801-8 CrossRefPubMed

Stephens C, Porter J, Nettleton C, Willis R (2006) Disappearing, displaced, and undervalued: a call to action for Indigenous health worldwide. The Lancet 367:2019–2028. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736(06)68892-2 CrossRef

The World Bank (2016) World Bank open data: free and open access to global development data. The World Bank. http://data.worldbank.org/. Accessed 10 December 2016

Varma GR, Kusuma YS, Babu BV (2011) Antenatal care service utilization in tribal and rural areas in a South Indian district: an evaluation through mixed methods approach. J Egypt Public Health Assoc 86:11–15. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.epx.0000395395.17777.be CrossRefPubMed

Verbeek J, Ruotsalainen J, Hoving JL (2012) Synthesizing study results in a systematic review. Scand J Work Environ Health 38:282–290CrossRefPubMed

Vickers T, Craig G, Atkin K (2013) Addressing ethnicity in social care research. Soc Policy Adm 47:310–326. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9515.2012.00851.x CrossRef

Waage J et al (2015) Governing the UN Sustainable Development Goals: interactions, infrastructures, and institutions. Lancet Glob Health 3:e251–e252. https://doi.org/10.1016/s2214-109x(15)70112-9 CrossRefPubMed

White J, Oosterhoff P, Huong NT (2012) Deconstructing ‘barriers’ to access: minority ethnic women and medicalised maternal health services in Vietnam. Glob Public Health 7:869–881. https://doi.org/10.1080/17441692.2012.679743 CrossRefPubMed

Whittemore R, Knafl K (2005) The integrative review: updated methodology. J Adv Nurs 52:546–553. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2648.2005.03621.x CrossRefPubMed

Wong YS, Allotey P, Reidpath DD (2014) Health care as commons: an indigenous approach to universal health coverage. Int Indig Policy J 5:1–24

World Health Organization (1978) Alma-Ata 1978: primary health care, health for all series no. 1. WHO, Geneva, p 47

World Health Organization (2007) Factsheet: health of indigenous peoples. World Health Organization. http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs326/en/. Accessed 13 May 2017

World Health Organization (2015) Health in 2015: from MDGs (millennium development goals) to SDGs (sustainable development goals). WHO, Geneva

World Health Organization, UNICEF (2015) Pregnancy, childbirth, postpartum and newborn care: a guide for essential practice. WHO, Geneva

Title: Indigenous women’s access to maternal healthcare services in lower- and middle-income countries: a systematic integrative review
Authors: Shahinoor Akter
Kate Davies
Jane Louise Rich
Kerry Jill Inder
Publication date: 01-04-2019
Publisher: Springer International Publishing
Published in: International Journal of Public Health / Issue 3/2019
Print ISSN: 1661-8556
Electronic ISSN: 1661-8564
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00038-018-1177-4

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

Springer Medicine

Indigenous women’s access to maternal healthcare services in lower- and middle-income countries: a systematic integrative review

Abstract

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

Springer Medicine

Abstract

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Please log in to get access to this content

Other articles of this Issue 3/2019

Feasibility of using respondent-driven sampling to recruit participants in superdiverse neighbourhoods for a general health survey

Health inequalities in terms of myocardial infarction and all-cause mortality: a study with German claims data covering 2006 to 2015

Mortality in the Visegrad countries from the perspective of socioeconomic inequalities

Development of a theoretical framework for assessment of quality of primary care medical service trips in Latin America

Current gaps in vaccination coverage: a need to improve prevention and care

Educational inequalities in Global Activity Limitation Indicator disability in 28 European Countries: Does the choice of survey matter?