Births and induced abortions among women of Russian, Somali and Kurdish origin, and the general population in Finland –comparison of self-reported and register data

Abstract

BackgroundSince reproductive health is often considered a highly sensitive topic, underreporting in surveys and under coverage of register data occurs frequently. This may lead to inaccurate information about the reproductive health. This study compares the proportion of women having births and induced abortions among migrant women of Russian, Somali and Kurdish origin in Finland to women in the general Finnish population and examines the agreement between survey- and register-based data.MethodsThe survey data from the Migrant Health and Wellbeing Study conducted in 2010–2012 and data from the Health 2011 Survey with corresponding information on women in the general population were used in this study. The respondents were women aged 18–64: 341 Russian, 176 Somali and 228 Kurdish origin women and 630 women in the general population. The survey data were linked to the Finnish Medical Birth Register and the Register of Induced Abortions.ResultsIn the combined (survey and register) data, migrant groups aged 30–64 had a higher proportion (89–96%) compared to the general population (69%) of women with at least one birth. Under-coverage of registered births was observed in all study groups. Among women aged 18–64, 36% of the Russian group and 24% of the Kurdish group reported more births in the survey than in the register data. In the combined data, the proportions of Russian origin (69%) and Kurdish origin (38%) women who have had at least one induced abortion in their lifetime are higher than in the general population (21%). Under-reporting of induced abortions in survey was observed among Somali origin women aged 18–29 (1% vs. 18%). The level of agreement between survey and register data was the lowest for induced abortions among the Somali and Russian groups (− 0.01 and 0.27).ConclusionBoth survey- and register-based information are needed in studies on reproductive health, especially when comparing women with foreign origin with women in the general population. Culturally sensitive survey protocols need to be developed to reduce reporting bias.

Induced abortions by woman’s country of origin in Finland 2001–2014

“…The main strength of this study is the use of population-based register data, good quality of the data [23, 28] and the ability to separate first- and second-generation migrants. Most previous studies are based on surveys, which suffer from underreporting of abortions [29, 30] and may struggle to include enough immigrant women. Coverage issues might arise with surveys aimed at migrant populations due to language and cultural barriers, particularly with themes considered sensitive like induced abortion.…”

“…Earlier study has shown that survey-based and register-based information on pregnancy history differ somewhat. Under-coverage of births in the register was observed whereas information on previous induced abortions was more accurate in the register [30].…”

“…Undercoverage of births in the register was observed whereas information on previous induced abortions was more accurate in the register. [30] While a major benefit of our study is the possibility to separate first and second-generation immigrants, we were not able to study the length of stay in Finland or the effects of socio-economic factors. Neither did we have information on the reason for migrating to Finland.…”

Changes in the Prevalence of Induced Abortion in the Floating Population in Major Cities of China 2007–2014

“…Studies have found that the abortion rate among migrant populations is significantly higher than that among the local residents, accounting for the majority of total induced abortions, especially among young and unmarried women [3,4]. In 2014, the number of the floating population (also known as migrants) in China reached 253 million, more than one-sixth of China’s total population [5].…”

Use of Health Services and Unmet Need among Adults of Russian, Somali, and Kurdish Origin in Finland

“…Equal proportion of respondents in each group having visited a medical doctor is a positive finding as it indicates general accessibility of services, apart from the indication that participants of Somali origin reported lower use. Lower use of services by Somali women is, indeed, somewhat surprising in the light of high level of births compared to the general population [ 64 ], but in line with results of their low participation in cervical cancer screening [ 30 ].…”