2023-06-28 13:57:27
In Guadeloupe, Martinique and Reunion, the indicators concerning perinatal health are “globally more unfavorable than in France”, according to a study by Public Health France carried out in partnership with the Regional Health Agencies (ARS) and published on Monday . The results of the 2021 National Perinatal Survey in these three overseas departments and regions (ENP-DROM 2021), “show on the whole less favorable health indicators and risk factors than in France, in a context of more strong precariousness.
More unwanted pregnancies
First “worrying” point: the proportion of women with obesity before pregnancy was higher (between 22.1% in Réunion and 24.9% in Martinique, compared to 14.4% in mainland France). A factor that “increases the risk of chronic diseases for women as well as obstetric and neonatal complications”, underlines the report. The data also show less controlled fertility in the territories studied, with in particular a proportion of pregnancies that arrived too early or were unwanted of 23.7% in Réunion, 28.6% in Guadeloupe and 32.8% in Martinique, compared to 16.6% in mainland France, underlines the study.
Some indicators relating to children were also more unfavorable in these territories, such as the proportion of children with low birth weight (less than 2,500 g) which was generally higher in these DROMs (between 10.5% in Martinique and 12 .4% in Reunion, once morest 7.1% in mainland France). Babies also sleep too often in their parents’ bed (32.7% in Réunion, 31.7% in Martinique and 28.4% in Guadeloupe, compared to 12.4% in France). “These figures testify to the importance of disseminating more widely prevention messages regarding unexpected infant deaths,” according to the study.
“Mental health, a taboo subject for pregnant women”
The state of mental health of mothers in overseas departments, regions and communities “was generally more unfavorable than in France”. For example, 33.9% of women in Guadeloupe and 31.9% of women in Saint-Martin harbor “a feeling of unease during pregnancy”, compared to 25.6% in France. “At two months postpartum, they are 31% to present major depressive symptoms, once morest 16.7% in France”.
In Guadeloupe, 33.4% of women surveyed declared a net household income of less than 1,000 euros, and 30.4% in Saint-Martin, once morest 7.5% in France. “With these figures, we have the feeling of a domino effect”, underlined Gülen Ayhan Kancel, medical coordinator of the Perinatal Network of Guadeloupe, linking context of precariousness, often single-parent families, difficulty of access to care with health problems. mental, during a press conference in Guadeloupe. For the coordinator, however, having access to this data is “a positive point”. She points out that “mental health is a taboo subject, particularly for pregnant women, because it is commonly accepted that a pregnant woman is happy”.
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