Factors associated with attendance to and completion of prenatal care visits in Colombia among urban-residing Venezuelan refugee and migrant women

Abstract

Between 2015 and 2023, 7.3 million Venezuelans have been displaced globally. We aimed to assess uptake of and factors associated with prenatal care among Venezuelan refugees and migrants in Colombia. We analyzed data from a cross-sectional survey of 6,221 urban-residing adult Venezuelans who were displaced to Colombia between 2015 and 2022. Analyses were restricted to 917 women aged 18–49 years who reported at least one pregnancy and delivered in Colombia; of these, 564 (61.5%) women completed ≥4 prenatal care visits in their most recent pregnancy. We used general linear models with negative binomial regression to identify associations and estimate the adjusted prevalence ratios (aPrR) of variables associated with completing ≥4 prenatal care visits during last complete pregnancy (WHO's pre-2016 recommendations). Having an irregular migration status was independently associated with a 12% lower likelihood (aPrR:0.88, 95%CI:0.78–0.99; p = 0.028) of completing ≥4 prenatal care visits compared to women with a regular status. Participants who reported an experience of denial of prenatal care at some point while Colombia (n = 135; 15.2%) were 42.8% less likely (aPrR:0.57, 95%CI:0.45–0.73; p < 0.001) to complete ≥4 prenatal care visits than those with no reported denial of care. Urban area of residence was also independently associated with prenatal care, while there was no evidence of association with educational attainment, literacy levels, or year of migration. Prenatal care attendance is suboptimal among Venezuelan refugees and migrants, particularly those with an irregular migration status, despite that prenatal care became officially available in 2018 to all Venezuelans in Colombia regardless of migration status. Reducing barriers to prenatal care by ensuring Venezuelan refugees and migrants are aware of available care, are supported in navigating the health system, and by preventing discrimination and stigma in the health facility are critical to ensuring the health and wellbeing of displaced people, their children, and the surrounding community.