The BaBi-Study – Health of Babies in Bielefeld
Datenerhebung
Results
So far the data we collected and the analyses we conducted present a complex picture. The analyses of the baseline survey which focussed on pregnancy and birth point mostly towards inequalities across socioeconomic groups. We have shown for example that there is a higher emergency caesarean rate among women with lower income and that there is a relationship between the level of formal education of women and their likelihood to take folic acid supplement during their pregnancy.
However, in terms of using health services, we found that non-medical antenatal care services (e.g. birth preparation classes) were used less frequently by women with a migration background than women without migration background. Those differences in in utero or early life of the children may have mid- to long-term consequences.
Analyses of the subsequent waves of the survey will allow to capture them further, with a focus on the health and development of the children up until their 6th birthday.
Some of the results have been uploaded here as research posters.