Obstetric hospitalizations among Italian women, regular and irregular immigrants in North-Eastern Italy

Abstract Objective. Italy has become an important host country for economic immigrants. The study is aimed at providing a descriptive analysis of obstetric hospitalizations among Italian and immigrant women in North-Eastern Italy. Design. Population-based registry descriptive study. Setting. Veneto Region, Italy. Methods. All obstetric hospitalizations in 2006–2007 were extracted from the regional archive of hospital discharge records (n = 144,698). Discharges for vaginal delivery, cesarean section, threatened abortion and other antepartum diagnoses, miscarriages, and induced abortions were identified among residents with Italian or foreign citizenship, and irregular immigrants. Hospitalization rates for the above diagnostic categories were computed for Italian and foreign Veneto residents. Main outcome measures. Delivery rates, proportion of cesarean sections, hospitalization rates for antepartum hospitalizations, miscarriage, induced abortion, and hospitalization rate ratios of immigrants versus Italian...