Influential Social Determinants of Adherence to Preventive and Health Promotion Activities During Pregnancy and the First Year of Life: Systematic review

AbstractBackground Effective monitoring throughout pregnancy and the first year of life is a crucial factor in achieving lower rates of maternal and infant mortality. Currently, there is a limited body of research that addresses socioeconomic factors that contribute to the non-adherence to preventive and control measures during pregnancy and the first year of life. The objective of this review is to examine the available evidence on social determinants that influence participation in health promotion and preventive activities throughout the pregnancy journey and in infants during their first year of life. Methods We performed a systematic review of the literature searching in the major scientific databases (PubMed, Scopus, EMBASE, WOS, and Cochrane Library) for articles from February 2017 to May 2023 containing information on health inequities that impact participation in health promotion and preventive measures from pregnancy through the first year of an infant's life. Results A total of 12 studies were selected. Of them, three were performed in North America (US and Canda); Three in the middle east and Asia (Pakistan, China, and Malasia); two in Africa (Nigeria and Ethiopia), two in Europe (UK and Denmark) and two in Australia. The selected studies cover preventive measures during maternal care, vaccination, and immunisation during pregnancy and the first year of life and newborn screening and follow-up of the first 12 months of life. These social factors associated with a low adherence to health promotion activities during pregnancy and the first year of life include education, income, ethnicity, place of residence, and family characteristics. Conclusions Despite the diverse geographical distribution, it is observed that there are common social factors linked to a decrease in the adherence to preventive measures during pregnancy and in the early years of life.