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Influence of migratory background on access to medically induced abortion : a quantitative study of patients in the XXX region.

Benarbia LEILAI

Access to abortion is a major public health issue. The literature reports differences in the time taken to seek an abortion. This can be explained by inequalities in healthcare provision, but also by inequalities in access to care linked to social determinants of health, like migration. The choice of method, and even the possibility of an abortion, are also conditioned by pregnancy dating.The aim of this study was to assess the impact of migration on the delay in access to medical abortion, and to analyze the link between migratory background and access to care.This was a retrospective, descriptive and analytical observational study via an online questionnaire. We surveyed adults who had requested an abortion in the last five years. The primary endpoint was the time between discovery of pregnancy and consultation for medical abortion. Secondary criteria were the date of pregnancy at the first abortion consultation and the time between the two consultations.153 participants had undergone an abortion, 77% a medical abortion. The sample's health literacy concerning abortion was low. A comparison of participants by migratory group (first-generation migrants, second-generation migrants and non-migrants) revealed significant differences. Migrant participants were more likely to consult at the hospital and at a later date. They also had more difficulty booking appointments and more delays in complementary examinations.The sample had a high socio-economic status and good access to care in general. Participants who had a primary care physician (PCP) were more aware of the time required to carry out an abortion, had more reliable sources of information, reported fewer abortion-related delays due to complementary examinations, had fewer difficulties making an appointment. Having a PCP was found to be an indicator of good access to care, as it is correlated with socio-economic level and health literacy.Common barriers to the entire population were identified: availability of care and health literacy concerning abortion. We also found barriers specific to the migrant population: socio- economic and health literacy in general. We observed that second-generation migrant participants had a better socio-economic level than first-generation migrants, but retained informational barriers compared with non-migrants.