Differences in Perinatal Outcomes: the Role of Citizenship

After having been a country of emigration for a long time, Italy has become one of the countries with the greatest foreign presence in Europe. The rapid increase in the number of foreign women – i.e. feminization process - and the fact that free health care is provided regardless of legal status, makes Italy an interesting case to study reproductive, maternal and perinatal health of foreign women. For our analyses we use Certificates of Healthcare at Delivery (CeDAPs), a nationwide system that cover births that have occurred in Italy since 2002. The data allowed us to identify differences between the various degrees of structural integration of foreign population. First results show that inequalities in perinatal outcomes between Italian and foreign women have persisted; especially for the less stable population.