To describe the sociodemographic characteristics of mothers of Haitian origin and the obstetric and neonatal outcomes of their newborns born in French Guiana between 2013 and 2021 in order to identify specific vulnerabilities within this population.

A descriptive, population-based study using data from a comprehensive birth cohort including all deliveries in French Guiana from 2013 to 2021.

All maternity units in French Guiana, a French overseas territory located in South America.

A total of 66 485 live births were recorded during the study period, including 14 065 (21.2%) births to mothers of Haitian origin.

Sociodemographic characteristics, antenatal care indicators and neonatal outcomes were compared between mothers of Haitian origin and mothers of other origins. Adjusted odds ratios (aOR) and 95% CI were calculated for key outcomes.

Compared with mothers of other origins, Haitian mothers had higher odds of delivering a newborn small for gestational age (aOR=1.41, 95% CI 1.32 to 1.50), neonatal hospitalisation at birth (aOR=1.19, 95% CI 1.11 to 1.28), having an insufficient number of antenatal visits (aOR=1.32, 95% CI 1.26 to 1.38) and lacking health insurance coverage (aOR=2.83, 95% CI 2.52 to 3.17). Conversely, they had a lower risk of adolescent pregnancy (

Mothers of Haitian origin in French Guiana experience distinct social and perinatal vulnerabilities. Strengthening equitable access to healthcare and implementing targeted community-based interventions are essential to improve maternal and neonatal health outcomes in this population.

Caesarean section is a frequent procedure in obstetrics, accounting for 21.4% of deliveries in France in 2021. Three months after delivery, 15.4% of these women report they still have pain, which can be associated with psychological disorders (including anxiety and depression). Although the only treatment currently recommended is self-massage of the scar, capacitive and resistive electric transfer (Tecar) therapy could improve healing and reduce pain associated with caesarean scars and, therefore, improve women’s health-related quality of life (QoL). We aim to evaluate the analgesic efficacy of Tecar therapy for postoperative scar pain and/or discomfort at 3 months postpartum by comparing it with sham Tecar therapy.

The NOCEPAIN study is a two-centre, single-blind, two-arm, parallel-group, sham-controlled randomised trial currently underway. A total of 120 women with a caesarean scar still painful at 6–8 weeks postpartum, aged 18–50 years, are being randomly allocated in a ratio of 1:1 to either the active Tecar therapy group (active device group) or the sham Tecar therapy group (placebo device group). The women undergo one Tecar or sham session of 20 min per week for 3 weeks. Women in both groups also receive the recommended standard treatment: manual self-massage of the scar.

The primary outcome is the caesarean scar pain and/or discomfort at 3 months postpartum, assessed with a Visual Analogue Scale from 0 (no pain and/or discomfort) to 10 (the worst imaginable). Secondary outcomes include validated self-report questionnaires about pain (French adaptations of the McGill Pain Questionnaire and the Brief Pain Inventory, as well as the ‘Douleur Neuropathique en 4 Questions’ instrument for neuropathic pain), the interference of pain with activities of daily living (Multidimensional Pain Inventory), anxiety and depression (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale), health-related QoL (WHO QoL Brief) and sexual functioning (Female Sexual Function Index). The final secondary outcomes are the quality of skin healing (Vancouver Scar Scale), as well as analgesic use and concomitant treatments for analgesia.

The West III Committee for the Protection of Persons (French Institutional Review Board) approved this study and its compliance with French individual data protection laws (number: 2022-A01492-41, 20 March 2023). All participants provide written informed consent before randomisation. The results will be reported in peer-reviewed journals and at scientific meetings.

NCT05696301.