Abstract
The objective of this qualitative pilot study was to explore barriers to prenatal care among women (aged 17 to 30 years) with pregnancy experience who resided in an underserved and predominantly African American neighborhood in Houston, Texas. The authors conducted 5 focus group discussions with, and collected demographic information from, the 32 participants. Discussions were audiotaped, transcribed, and analyzed manually. The data analysis suggested 5 key barriers to prenatal care services among the study populations: unplanned pregnancy, lack of information, lack of support system (eg, lack of emotional and instrumental support from family members), psychosocial challenges (eg, emotions and stress-related to the condition of pregnancy), and economic hardships (eg, lack of money to maintain healthy pregnancy and basic needs). Addressing the causes of unplanned pregnancy, such as low risk perception, behavior-related causes, and attitude toward pregnancy, may be helpful to improve the utilization of prenatal care by underserved women.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
