Family Planning Research in African Immigrant and Refugee Women: A Scoping Review

Abstract

Introduction: African immigrants are a vulnerable population who are seldom seen in the literature, however, the scant research available reports that they experience increased challenges when making family planning decisions. A robust understanding of their specific family planning practices is imperative to providing appropriate, culturally congruent care. Considering this disparity, a scoping review was conducted to synthesize empirical knowledge and identify gaps in the literature around family planning in African immigrant populations in the United States. Methods: Guided by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) framework, EMBASE, Global Health Database, PsycINFO, CINAHL, and PubMed were searched for literature regarding family planning topics such as decision-making and health care access among African immigrant women in the United States in June 2020. Results: The small number of retrieved studies for the literature review clearly highlights a dearth of research. Available evidence indicates stark disparities in health care access, unmet individual needs, and unacknowledged preferences. Discussion: Ignoring cultural considerations for the growing African immigrant population perpetuates the divide in family planning practices.

Influences on reproductive decision-making among forcibly displaced women resettling in high-income countries: a scoping review and thematic analysis

“…The 19 included articles were published between 2013 and 2022, with sample sizes ranging from 10 to 1,773 people (see Table 3 for article characteristics). Thirteen articles reported on qualitative findings (including two mixed-methods studies that only reported on qualitative data) (13/19 articles, 68.4%) [ 40 , 41 ], three quantitative (3/19 articles, 15.8%) [ 42 – 44 ], one mixed-methods (1/19 articles, 5.3%) [ 45 ], one scoping review (1/19 articles, 5.3%) [ 46 ], and one narrative review (1/19 articles, 5.3%) [ 47 ]. Of the 17 primary articles, four used convenience sampling (4/17 articles, 23.5%) [ 42 , 43 , 45 , 48 ], three used purposive (3/17 articles, 17.6%) [ 40 , 49 , 50 ], four used both purposive and snowball (4/17 articles, 23.5%) [ 51 – 54 ], two used purposive and convenience (2/17 articles, 11.8%) [ 41 , 55 ], one used informant-purposive and snowball (1/17 articles, 5.9%) [ 56 ], one used convenience and snowball (1/17 articles, 5.9%) [ 57 ], one used purposive, gatekeeper and snowball (1/17 articles, 5.9%) [ 58 ], and one used stratified random sampling (1/17 articles, 5.9%) [ 44 ].…”

“…Women’s countries of origin varied. Seven articles included women from African countries only, including Somalia, Kenya, Sudan, South Sudan, Sierra Leone, Burundi, and Ethiopia (7/19 articles, 36.8%) [ 40 , 46 , 49 , 51 , 52 , 55 , 58 ]. Two articles included women from Syria (2/19 articles, 10.5%) [ 43 , 50 ], two included women from Nepal (2/19 articles, 10.5%) [ 48 , 53 ], one focused on women from Mexico (1/19 articles, 5.3%) [ 47 ], and one included women from mainland China (1/19 articles, 5.3%) [ 54 ].…”

Mapping the evidence on factors related to postpartum contraception among sub-Saharan African immigrant and refugee women in the United States of America: A scoping review protocol

“…We will also identify key barriers, facilitators, and social determinants, of postpartum contraception access and utilization in sub-Saharan African immigrant and refugee women. Some of these include, access to insurance coverage, literacy levels, language, patient-provider factors, childcare, transportation, stigma, and knowledge/awareness of available/preferred methods [ 9 , 24 , 35 ].…”

“…African immigrant and refugee populations, specifically populations from sub-Saharan Africa, are rapidly increasing in the United States, and they come from a wide range of cultural, linguistic, religious, and social origins [ 8 ]. Immigrant and refugee populations may have trouble using postpartum contraception and other preventative SRH care because of their prior experiences with SRH in their home countries, and relocation, migration, and resettlement experiences [ 9 ]. Evidence from other high-income migrant-receiving nations in the European Union and Asia [ 10 ], and a recent systematic review of five countries [ 11 ] have revealed many factors that contribute to low rates of maternal health care use among immigrant women.…”

Service Delivery Considerations for Introducing New Injectable Contraceptives Lasting 4 and 6 Months in Nigeria and Uganda: A Qualitative Study

“…In many sub-Saharan African countries, contraceptive prevalence rates have plateaued, with access to contraception remaining constrained for many rural, poor, and vulnerable populations. 1 – 3 The development of new contraceptive methods that better meet users' needs, particularly those in resource-constrained and remote locations, holds the promise of increasing method use and satisfaction. Studies have shown that expanding the method mix and improving features of current methods can lead to increased contraceptive use.…”