Antenatal group education for pregnant asylum seeker in the netherlands

TL;DR

A study in the Netherlands found that antenatal group education for pregnant asylum seekers may improve knowledge but was limited by frequent relocations and small sample size.

Contribution

This study provides preliminary insights into the feasibility and challenges of implementing antenatal group education for pregnant asylum seekers.

Findings

Participation in antenatal group education increased knowledge scores in the intervention group.

Frequent relocations and high follow-up loss limited the study's ability to detect significant differences between groups.

Reach and adoption of the program were positive, but implementation was hindered by relocations.

Abstract

•Antenatal group education may improve health literacy, but effectiveness was inconclusive due to small sample size and frequent relocations.•Frequent relocations limit continuity of care and research, highlighting the need for stronger policies supporting pregnant asylum seekers.

Antenatal group education may improve health literacy, but effectiveness was inconclusive due to small sample size and frequent relocations.

Frequent relocations limit continuity of care and research, highlighting the need for stronger policies supporting pregnant asylum seekers.

Pregnant asylum seekers face increased risks of adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes. Group antenatal education may improve access and engagement. We aimed to assess the preliminary impact of implementing antenatal group education sessions for pregnant asylum seekers, focusing on their effects on health literacy and satisfaction with care.

We conducted a prospective quasi- experimental cohortstudy with pregnant asylum seekers older than 18 years. Participants followed two sessions of group interactive care education next to regular care, while the comparison group received standard obstetric care. Knowledge on perinatal issues, the Dutch healthcare system, and satisfaction of care were tested before and after participating in the sessions. The implementation was assessed following the RE-AIM framework (Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation and Maintenance).

Participation in the antenatal group education sessions was associated with an increase in knowledge scores within the intervention group. However, no significant difference was found relative to the comparison group. Satisfaction with care also did not differ significantly between groups. Reach and Adoption showed good results, while Implementation was hampered by the frequent relocations.

A relatively small sample size and high loss to follow-up because of frequent relocations have influenced the results of this study.

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