Fertility characteristics and related factors impacting on Syrian refugee women living in Istanbul.

BACKGROUND: Women's fertility characteristics are affected by many different factors. AIM: To gain an awareness of fertility characteristics of Syrian refugee women and the influential factors. METHODS: This study was planned as a cross-sectional study to determine the efficiency and related factors of Syrian refugees living in Istanbul. The survey of 300 refugee women applying Arabs who migrated to Turkey, Kurds, Turkmen and Yezidi origin they receive. RESULT: Average age of the women studied was 34.26 ± 10.15, 34.6% of the participants had not received any education, 37% had less than two-year inter-pregnancy interval, 58.6% have not received "Safe Motherhood" service, 43.6% have conceived their last child unwillingly. Women in the study group had in average 3±2,4 children and the number of children they wanted was 3±1,59. These values were substantially affected negatively by the women's education level and positively by the income level. Yezidis had significantly more children than other ethnic groups and did not have a "religious ban" on voluntary abortion. CONCLUSION: It has been noted that fertility characteristics of refugee women who migrated to Turkey changed according to their ethnic backgrounds and were sustained in the country they migrated to. Along with harsh living conditions and insufficient access to health services the situation has been observed to pose serious risks on reproductive health.

Supporting safe motherhood services in Diyarbakir: a community-based distribution project.

To provide pregnant and puerperal women experiencing problems with receiving health care in Diyarbakir, Turkey, with an education program and counseling to help them attain appropriate health behaviors and to support receiving health care through a community based distribution model. This article is a descriptive report of a qualitative community based distribution project conducted in cooperation with the Women's Research and Implementation Centre (WRIC) of Diyarbakir Metropolitan Municipality (DMM) and Turkish Family Health and Planning Foundation. The study was carried out between March 2007 and April 2008 in six districts of Diyarbakir, a region with a population of 37,000 people of low socio-economic status and who immigrated from the surrounding villages. A total of 6,029 families were visited and 1,119 pregnant and puerperal women were contacted, provided with education and counseling and referred to primary health care clinics at home visits. Seven women living in the region were selected and educated so that they could offer peer education and educational material was prepared for the target group. The pregnant and puerperal women living in the study area were recorded and referred to primary health care clinics. They were visited four times during pregnancy and three times during puerperium and were provided an education program and counseling. Data were collected from the records made during monitoring the women and focus group discussions with women, peer trainers and health care staff. They were found to acquire appropriate health behaviors, 36.2 % women started to receive health care from primary health care clinics for the first time and 86.9 % of the deliveries were performed at health centers. The pregnant and puerperal women were satisfied with home visits, felt special and put the information about self-care into practice. The number of the women receiving iron supplements and vaccine against tetanus and receiving regular care increased.

A safe motherhood education and counselling programme in Istanbul.

OBJECTIVE: Evaluation of an education/counselling programme intended for pregnant/puerperal women in a secondary health care facility. METHODS: The education/counselling programme was launched in September 2004, following the preparation of environmental and material components. Evaluation of the two-year project was achieved by means of satisfaction surveys of service receivers and service providers, an information survey of service receivers and focus group discussions (FGDs) for both groups. RESULTS: Forty percent of the pregnant women who attended antenatal visits and 90% of those who had recently delivered were given education/counselling in accordance with the project. The information survey showed that 92.5% of the pregnant women knew that they should take an iron supplement during pregnancy and the puerperium; 72% of the puerperal women knew of the danger signs postpartum and concerning the newborn, and 70% were aware of the methods of effective breastfeeding. The FGDs showed improved competence of the applicants in pre-delivery, pregnancy and puerperal care as well as in newborn nutrition. Feedback from service providers confirmed the patients' improved active participation in their self-care. CONCLUSION: The safe motherhood education/counselling programme was successfully completed. The applicants and health care professionals benefited from the service.