Abstract
Objectives
Globally, Indigenous people have lower-health status compared to non-Indigenous people due to unequal access to health care. Barriers or enablers to accessing maternal health services by Indigenous women are not well researched. This review aims to determine accessibility and utilisation of maternal primary healthcare services among Indigenous women in lower- and middle-income countries.
Methods
We conducted a systematic integrative review of published and grey literature published between 2000 and 2017. Studies on maternal healthcare service utilisation by Indigenous women in lower- and middle-income countries were included. From 3092 articles identified, 10 met the eligibility criteria.
Results
The most prominent barrier to accessing maternal primary healthcare services was the top-down nature of intervention programmes, which made programmes culturally unfriendly for Indigenous women. Distance, cost, transport, accommodation, language barriers and lack of knowledge about existing services also impacted access.
Conclusions
Findings provided insights into understanding the gaps in existing policies for Indigenous women and their access to maternal health services. Results suggested that efforts be made to ensure appropriate programmes for Indigenous women’s maternal health right.
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Funding
This review paper was conducted as a part of a Ph.D. programme funded by the relevant university’s International Postgraduate Research Scholarship.
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Akter, S., Davies, K., Rich, J.L. et al. Indigenous women’s access to maternal healthcare services in lower- and middle-income countries: a systematic integrative review. Int J Public Health 64, 343–353 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00038-018-1177-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00038-018-1177-4