Table 4.
Summary of included studies
| Author/Year | Country | Aim | Study design | Target population | Health care service focus | Perspective | Number of participants/gender | Quality appraisal score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Descriptive studies of enablers/barriers to health care access | ||||||||
| Balaam et al. 2016 [17] | England, UK | To explore the experiences of voluntary sector workers supporting asylum seeking and refugee women during pregnancy and early motherhood | Qualitative | Pregnant refugees and asylum seekers (but authors interviewed workers who work directly with this client group instead due to difficulty in accessing the women directly) | Maternity and postnatal services | Voluntary workers | 19 individuals (3 focus groups and 1 interview)- gender not specified | 7/10 |
| Chu et al. 2005 [18] | Brisbane, Australia | To examine the postnatal experience and support needs of Chinese migrant women in Brisbane | Qualitative | Chinese migrant women in Australia | Postnatal services | Patients (women) | 55 women (face-to-face and telephone interviews); field groups to selected community organisations and focus group discussions (participants not specified) | 8/10 |
| Gagnon et al. 2010 [19] | Montreal, Canada | To explore the inhibitors and facilitators for migrant women who have recently given birth following through on referrals made in the community by nurses for additional care for their baby and/or themselves | Qualitative | Women with migration histories who have recently given birth | Postnatal services | Patients (women) | 25/75 women (group and individual interviews) | 7/10 |
| Renzaho et al. 2013 [20] | Dandenong, Australia | To explore the views and perceptions of migrant women in Dandenong, Australia about sociocultural barriers and health needs during pregnancy and in the postnatal period, and to identify potential solutions to address such barriers | Qualitative | Migrant lactating mothers, with at least one child aged < 3 years (Afghani, African, Chinese and Middle Eastern) | Maternity and postnatal services | Patients (women) | 5 focus group discussions with 35 migrant mothers | 8/10 |
| Riggs et al. 2014 [21] | Melbourne, Australia | To explore the experiences of dental service use from the perspective of migrant mothers | Qualitative | Migrant mothers living in Melbourne from Iraq, Lebanon and Pakistan | Oral health | Patients (women) | 11 focus groups and interviews with 115 women | 8/10 |
| Riggs et al. 2016 b [22] | Melbourne, Australia | To explore the experiences of Afghan men of refugee background having a baby in Melbourne, and the reflections of health professionals about the role of men in maternity and early childhood care | Qualitative | Afghan men of refugee background who had had a baby in Melbourne in the previous month | Maternity and postnatal services | Patients (men) and health professionals | 14 Afghan men (interviews); 34 health professionals (interviews and focus groups) | 9/10 |
| Yelland et al.b 2014 [23] | Melbourne, Australia | To explore the responsiveness of health services to the social and mental health of Afghan women and men who had recently had a baby | Qualitative | Afghan women and men who had recently had a baby in Melbourne | Maternity and postnatal services | Patients (women and men) and health professionals | 30 interviews with Afghan women and men; interviews and focus groups with 34 health professionals; consultation with 100 members of the Afghan community | 8/10 |
| Studies which evaluate an intervention | ||||||||
| Gibbs et al. 2015 [24]a | Melbourne, Australia | To establish and evaluate a model for child oral health promotion for families with migrant backgrounds | Program evaluation (pre/post) with comparison group | Families with 1–4-year-old children, from Iraqi, Lebanese or Pakistani backgrounds) | Oral health | N/A | 521 families (691 children) at baseline; 275 families (365 children) at follow up (53%) | 9/9 |
| Harrison et al. 2003 [25] | British Columbia, Canada | To design, implement and evaluate an oral health promotion program for Vietnamese pre-school children in Canada | Program evaluation (pre/post) with comparison group | Vietnamese mothers with children under 5 years of age living in Canada | Oral health | N/A | 112 mothers at baseline (who had more than one counselling session), 66/112 (59%) at follow-up | 5/9 |
aGibbs study also reports on barriers
b Related papers: one focuses on migrant women and men; the other focuses solely on migrant men