91 Differences in access to pregnancy assistance between Italian and immigrant women: results from a national monitoring system of immigrants’ health

Abstract EP3.4, e-Poster Terminal 3, September 4, 2025, 11:35 - 13:00 Introduction In Italy, in the period 2016-22, 21.3% of deliveries involved immigrant women. Despite the universal health care provided by the Italian National Health System (NHS) to all residents, inequalities were observed in access to maternal health care. The objective of this study is to analyze the differences in access to pregnancy assistance between Italian and immigrant women. Methods The National Institute for Health, Migration and Poverty (INMP) coordinates a system for monitoring the health status and healthcare of the resident immigrant population, which currently includes 10 regions (Piedmont, Lombardy, Trento and Bolzano Autonomous Provinces, Emilia-Romagna, Tuscany, Umbria, Lazio, Puglia, and Sicily), where 75% of the total residents in Italy and 83% of foreign nationals live. To date, the monitoring system covers the period 2016-2022. Data collected by the regions through different healthcare information systems are summarized in a set of 60 indicators covering hospital care, maternal-child care, and emergency care services. Results Compared to Italians, immigrant women had an overall higher risk of receiving during pregnancy less than five gynecological examinations (OR 1.82; 95%CI:1.81-1.84, P < 0.001), less than two ultrasounds (OR 1.77; 95%CI:1.74-1.80, P < 0.001), and the first examination after the 12th week of gestational age (OR 4.41; 95%CI:4.36-4.47, P < 0.001). In the period 2016-2022, among immigrant women, an overall decrease in the proportions for these three unfavourable pregnancy care conditions was observed, but lower than observed among Italians. Conclusions Our findings suggest that immigrant women receive worse healthcare during pregnancy than do Italians in terms of adherence to the recommendations. Despite the universal Italian NHS, they still face problems in accessing maternal and child care, probably related to administrative, linguistic, and/ or cultural barriers. Policies aimed to remove these barriers could reduce the differences in neonatal outcomes between the two population groups.