“Nobody talks about it”: Preconception health and care among women in the rural, Midwestern United States

“Nobody talks about it”: Preconception health and care among women in the rural, Midwestern United States

Introduction: Good preconception and interconception health are fundamental to optimizing women’s health and reducing risk factors for adverse maternal–infant outcomes. Although rural women in the United States tend to experience health disparities, no published qualitative studies have focused on t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Women's health (London, England) Vol. 18; p. 17455057221097563
Main Authors: Clark, Akia D, Mager, Natalie A DiPietro
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: London, England SAGE Publications 01-01-2022
Sage Publications Ltd
SAGE Publishing
Subjects:
Education
Female
Health care
Health Education
Health risks
Humans
Information sources
Knowledge management
Minority & ethnic groups
Original
Preconception Care - methods
Pregnancy
Qualitative analysis
Qualitative Research
Risk analysis
Risk factors
Risk management
Risk reduction
Rural areas
Rural Population
United States
Women's Health
United States
United States > US
preconception care
health services accessibility
rural population
women’s health
female
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Summary:Introduction: Good preconception and interconception health are fundamental to optimizing women’s health and reducing risk factors for adverse maternal–infant outcomes. Although rural women in the United States tend to experience health disparities, no published qualitative studies have focused on their preconception/interconception health. The purpose of this study was to determine what rural, Midwestern women perceive to be their most pressing health needs and effective ways to provide outreach and education regarding preconception/interconception health and care. Methods: Non-pregnant, reproductive-age women in Hardin County, Ohio, regardless of parity, were recruited through convenience sampling. Semi-structured interviews with four domains (beliefs and behaviors; perceived needs; knowledge and information sources; barriers to care) were conducted in May–June 2021 until saturation was reached. Qualitative methods were used to analyze data and determine themes. Binomial tests were used to compare selected demographic characteristics of participants to the county’s reproductive-age residential female population. Results: Nineteen women aged 20–44 years were individually interviewed. Comparing race/ethnicity, education, and insurance status, participants appeared to be representative of the county population. Four themes were identified: (1) needs regarding healthcare and other resources; (2) lack of preconception/interconception care and perceived unimportance due to intergenerational knowledge transfer and paucity of healthcare providers; (3) difference in understanding of the term “women’s health” and low health literacy; and (4) suggested interventions including education and outreach. Conclusion: Interviews with rural Midwestern women revealed needs regarding preconception/interconception health and care and potential ways to raise awareness. These findings can inform strategies to improve rural women’s health and birth outcomes.
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ISSN:1745-5057
1745-5065
1745-5065
DOI:10.1177/17455057221097563