Dataset Information

La Maison Bleue: Strengthening resilience among migrant mothers living in Montreal, Canada.

ABSTRACT: INTRODUCTION:La Maison Bleue is a community-based perinatal health and social centre in Montreal that provides services during pregnancy up to age five to families living in vulnerable contexts. The study aimed to describe: 1) the challenges and protective factors that affect the well-being of migrant families receiving care at La Maison Bleue; and 2) how La Maison Bleue strengthens resilience among these families. METHODS:We conducted a focused ethnography. Immigrants, refugees, asylum seekers and undocumented migrants were invited to participate. We collected data from November to December 2017 via semi-structured interviews and participant observation during group activities at La Maison Bleue. Data were thematically analysed. RESULTS:Twenty-four mothers participated (9 interviewed, 17 observed). Challenges to well-being included family separation, isolation, loss of support, the immigration process, an unfamiliar culture and environment, and language barriers. Key protective factors were women's intrinsic drive to overcome difficulties, their positive outlook and ability to find meaning in their adversity, their faith, culture and traditions, and supportive relationships, both locally and transnationally. La Maison Bleue strengthened resilience by providing a safe space, offering holistic care that responded to both medical and psychosocial needs, and empowering women to achieve their full potential towards better health for themselves and their families. CONCLUSION:Migrant mothers have many strengths and centres like La Maison Bleue can offer a safe space and be an empowering community resource to assist mothers in overcoming the multiple challenges that they face while resettling and raising their young children in a new country.

SUBMITTER: Aube T

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6657858 | biostudies-literature | 2019

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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La Maison Bleue: Strengthening resilience among migrant mothers living in Montreal, Canada.

Aubé Thalia T Pisanu Sarah S Merry Lisa L

PloS one 20190725 7

<h4>Introduction</h4>La Maison Bleue is a community-based perinatal health and social centre in Montreal that provides services during pregnancy up to age five to families living in vulnerable contexts. The study aimed to describe: 1) the challenges and protective factors that affect the well-being of migrant families receiving care at La Maison Bleue; and 2) how La Maison Bleue strengthens resilience among these families.<h4>Methods</h4>We conducted a focused ethnography. Immigrants, refugees, ...[more]

PMID: 31344081

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Project description:INTRODUCTION:There is a gap in research regarding transnational family support (emotional, practical, spiritual, informational and financial) as a resource for migrant families with children. From the perspective of migrant families and their family back home, the objectives of this study are to (1) identify the types and ways that transnational family support is provided to migrant families in Canada; (2) assess for patterns in the data that may suggest variations in the nature of this support (eg, by migration status, time in Canada, children's ages, family circumstances) and over time and (3) explore the impact (positive and negative) in receiving and providing transnational support, respectively. METHODS AND ANALYSIS:A focused ethnography is planned. We will recruit 25-35 migrant families with children with different migration histories (eg, economic or forced migration from a mix of countries) and family circumstances (eg, single parenthood, families living with extended family, families with children in the home country) living in Montreal, Canada. Families will be recruited through community organisations. Data will be gathered via semistructured interviews. To capture the perspective of those providing support, family members in the home country for each migrant family will also be recruited and interviewed through communication technology (eg, WhatsApp). Data collection will also involve observation of 'transnational interactions' between family members in Montreal and those back home. Data will be thematically analysed and results reported in a narrative form with an in-depth description of each theme. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION:Ethical approval was obtained from the sciences and health research ethics committee at the University of Montreal. Study results will be shared through traditional forums (publication, conference presentations) and via other knowledge dissemination/exchange activities (eg, 'lunch and learn conferences' and seminars) through the research team's research centres and networks to reach front-line care-providers who interface directly with migrant families.

Project description:ObjectiveThe aim of the study was to determine whether exclusive breastfeeding or exclusive formula feeding is more cost-effective when a Canadian mother with HIV is adherent to antiretroviral therapy and has full virologic suppression.DesignCurrent Canadian guidelines recommend that mothers with HIV practice exclusive formula feeding. This contradicts the updated World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines which recommend that mothers with HIV should breastfeed for ≥12 months while receiving support for antiretroviral therapy adherence. Due to the economic and health risks and benefits associated with each modality, there remains expert disagreement on whether the WHO recommendations should be adopted in high-income countries.MethodsA microsimulation model was developed to estimate lifetime costs and effectiveness (i.e., infant's quality-adjusted life years) of a hypothetical group of 1,000,000 initially healthy, HIV-negative infants, if the mother with HIV was on antiretroviral therapy with full virologic suppression and either exclusive breastfeeding or exclusive formula feeding. The model was developed from the economic perspective of the Ontario Ministry of Health, taking into account direct costs associated with infant feeding modality as well as related indirect costs born out of the child's lifetime health outcomes. Uncertainties related to model parameters were evaluated using one-way and probabilistic sensitivity analyses.ResultsIn comparison to exclusive formula feeding, exclusive breastfeeding was the dominant feeding modality (i.e., less costly and more effective) yielding cost-savings of $13,812 per additional quality-adjusted life year gained. Neither one-way nor probabilistic sensitivity analyses altered the conclusions.ConclusionsDespite the risk of HIV transmission, exclusive breastfeeding was more cost-effective than exclusive formula feeding. These findings merit review of current infant feeding guidelines for mothers with HIV living in high-income countries.

Project description:The purpose of this study was to describe dietary patterns among 1636 French-speaking men residing in Montreal, Canada and to assess sociodemographic and lifestyle characteristics of men adhering to the dietary patterns identified. Participants were population controls from the Prostate Cancer and Environment Study, a case-control study conducted between 2006 and 2011 in Montreal. Information on diet was collected using a food frequency questionnaire, and principal component analysis, a data-driven method and a posteriori method, was used to identify dietary patterns. Three dietary patterns were identified; Healthy, Modified Western - Salty and Modified Western - Sweet patterns accounted for 7.0%, 5.4%, and 3.2% of the variance, respectively. The Healthy pattern was characterized by consumption of fruits, vegetables, vegetable soup, chicken, fish and seafood, cheese, rice, yogurt, and wine. The Modified Western - Salty pattern included high loadings for beef, pork, chicken, hot-dogs or sausages, cold cuts, bacon, barbecue cooking, meat slightly blackened, potatoes, pasta with tomato sauce, pizza, pastries, dark carbonated soft drinks, ice cream, and white bread. The third pattern, labelled as Modified Western - Sweet, had high loadings of cookies, muffins, cakes, pastries, pies, ice cream, fruits and vegetables. In multivariate analyses, the Healthy pattern was positively associated with higher income and education, moderate recreational physical activity and less heavy smoking, and inversely associated with French ancestry. The Modified Western - Salty pattern was positively associated with French, other European, and Latino ancestries, and with married and common-law relationships. Finally, the Modified Western - Sweet pattern was more common among men of French ancestry and users of vitamin/mineral supplements. The Healthy pattern has been frequently observed in other Western populations, but the other two are described for the first time in a study population of men.

Project description:BackgroundMigrant women with young children, including asylum seekers and refugees, have multiple vulnerability factors that put them at increased risk of social isolation and loneliness, which are associated with negative health outcomes. This study explored the experiences of social isolation and loneliness among migrant mothers with children aged 0-5 years as well as their perceptions on possible health impacts.MethodsA qualitative descriptive study was conducted at La Maison Bleue, a non-profit organization providing perinatal health and social services to vulnerable women in Montreal, Canada. Recruitment and data collection occurred concurrently during the COVID-19 pandemic, between November and December 2020. Eleven women participated in individual semi-structured interviews and provided socio-demographic information. Interview data were thematically analyzed.ResultsMigrant women in this study described social isolation as the loss of family support and of their familiar social/cultural networks, and loneliness as the feelings of aloneness that stemmed from being a mother in a new country with limited support. Multiple factors contributed to women's and children's social isolation and loneliness, including migration status, socioeconomic circumstances, language barriers, and being a single mother. Women expressed that the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated pre-existing experiences of social isolation and loneliness. Mothers' experiences affected their emotional and mental health, while for children, it reduced their social opportunities outside the home, especially if not attending childcare. However, the extent to which mothers' experiences of social isolation and loneliness influenced the health and development of their children, was less clear.ConclusionMigrant mothers' experiences of social isolation and loneliness are intricately linked to their status as migrants and mothers. Going forward, it is critical to better document pandemic and post-pandemic consequences of social isolation and loneliness on young children of migrant families. Supportive interventions for migrant mothers and their young children should not only target social isolation but should also consider mothers' feelings of loneliness and foster social connectedness and belongingness. To address social isolation and loneliness, interventions at the individual, community and policy levels are needed.

Project description:BackgroundPrecarious status migrants are a group of persons who are vulnerable, heterogeneous, and often suspicious of research teams. They are underrepresented in population-based research projects, and strategies to recruit them are described exclusively in terms of a single cultural group. We analyzed the recruitment strategies implemented during a research project aimed at understanding precarious status migrants' health status and healthcare access in Montreal, Canada. The research sample consisted of 854 persons recruited from a variety of ethnocultural communities between June 2016 and September 2017. This article analyzes the strategies implemented by the research team to respond to the challenges of that recruitment, and assess the effectiveness of those strategies. Based on the results, we share the lessons learned with a view to increasing precarious status migrants' representation in research.MethodA mixed sequential design was used to combine qualitative data gathered from members of the research team at a reflexive workshop (n?=?16) and in individual interviews (n?=?15) with qualitative and quantitative data collected using the conceptual mapping method (n?=?10).ResultsThe research team encountered challenges in implementing the strategies, related to the identification of the target population, the establishment of community partnerships, and suspicion on the part of the individuals approached. The combination of a venue-based sampling method, a communications strategy, and the snowball sampling method was key to the recruitment. Linking people with resources that could help them was useful in obtaining their effective and non-instrumental participation in the study. Creating a diverse and multicultural team helped build trust with participants. However, the strategy of matching the ethnocultural identity of the interviewer with that of the respondent was not systematically effective.ConclusionThe interviewers' experience and their understanding of the issue are important factors to take into consideration in future research. More over, the development of a community resource guide tailored to the needs of participants should be major components of any research project targeting migrants. Finally, strategies should be implemented as the result of a continuous reflexive process among all members of the research team.

Dataset Information

La Maison Bleue: Strengthening resilience among migrant mothers living in Montreal, Canada.

Publications

La Maison Bleue: Strengthening resilience among migrant mothers living in Montreal, Canada.

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