Comparison of pregnant Turkish women and Syrian refugees: Does living as a refugee have an unfavorable effect on pregnancy outcomes?

Objective: To compare pregnant Turkish women and Syrian refugee women in terms of demographic data and obstetric and neonatal outcomes.

Methods: In a retrospective study, the records of Turkish women and Syrian refugee women who gave birth at the Health Sciences University Kocaeli Derince Training and Research Hospital, Kocaeli, Turkey, between January 1, 2016, and July 31, 2017 were examined. Maternal characteristics and obstetric and neonatal outcomes were compared between the two groups.

Results: The study, which included 7950 Turkish women and 620 Syrian refugee women, found significant differences in maternal age according to nationality. The rate of normal delivery was significantly lower for the Turkish women at 51.6% (P=0.001) compared to 61.3% for the Syrian refugee women. The rate of delivery prior to 37 weeks of gestation was 1.8% for the Turkish women and 3.2% for the Syrian refugee women, indicating earlier delivery for the Syrian refugees than the Turkish women (P=0.017). A significant difference was found between the birth weights of infants born in the two groups (P=0.001).

Conclusion: According to the study results, Syrian refugees have a higher rate of adolescent birth and low-birth-weight neonates which could be attributed to poor care and insufficient nutrition during pregnancy while living as a refugee in Turkey.