Social inequalities in perinatal health

In spite of an overall sharp decrease in the infant mortality level since the very beginning of the 20th century, one still observes a persistance of social inequalities, even in perinatal mortality, almost everywhere in Europe. International comparisons or trends are rather difficult to establish due to methodological and conceptual shortcomings. In the years 1979-1980, a comprehensive survey was conducted in one of the Belgian provinces, Hainaut, where information on the mothers' behavior during pregnancy, including everyday life habits, was collected together with the usual identification factors. It appears that future research needs must be based on a new definition of the social gradients, shifting from the usual father's socioeconomic reference to a more sociocultural integration gradient, taking also maternal and family characteristics into account in order to improve the understanding of the phenomenon.