New research shows African-born mothers in Ireland were significantly more likely to suffer stillbirths or have babies dying within a week of birth, which researchers have described as “concerning”.
A study from the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) published on Thursday found African-born women were experiencing “significantly higher rates” of stillbirths and early neonatal deaths, compared to Irish-born women.
The research said while the risk of stillbirths or deaths of newborns had dropped between 2004 and 2019 for Irish mothers, it had increased for African-born mothers in Ireland over the same period.
The study said potential factors behind these higher mortality rates could include issues around access to healthcare, poorer housing conditions, greater exposure to pollution, or health behaviours during pregnancy.
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Researchers said the significantly higher risks for children of African-born mothers was “striking”. Despite overall improvements in stillbirth and newborn mortality rates, the situation for African-born mothers had “deteriorated” during the period examined, it said.
Anne Nolan, an associate research professor at the ESRI who worked on the study, said the findings relating to African mothers in Ireland were concerning. “It seems to be that inequality seems to be widening over time ... It is a real concern, in theory there is the same access to healthcare,” she told The Irish Times.
Prof Nolan said the findings required more in-depth research to try to identify exactly what factors could be driving the higher stillbirth and early neonatal mortality rate.
The new research also showed there were higher rates of stillbirths or early newborn deaths among more disadvantaged socio-economic groups. Mortality rates for babies of unemployed mothers were up to two times higher than mothers working in what the study classed as “higher professional” occupations.
The ESRI study also looked at Covid-19 deaths and similarly found higher mortality rates from the virus among disadvantaged socio-economic groups.
Analysis of Covid-19 deaths between March 2020 and May 2021 found people “in less advantaged socio-economic groups accounted for higher proportions of deaths, relative to their shares in the population aged 65 and older,” the research stated.
The study noted that higher rates of Covid-19 deaths could be linked to other factors, such as whether certain groups were more likely to have other healthcare issues or conditions.
Commenting on the study, Prof Nolan said despite overall improvements in mortality rates in recent decades, the research highlighted “a number of groups that are vulnerable to higher mortality rates, and which require policy attention”.
