title: Sociodemographic factors associated with obstacles to abortion care: findings from a survey of abortion patients in Mexico City.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  First-trimester abortion was legalized in Mexico City in 2007, and services are now provided at public and private sites throughout the city. However, little is known about the obstacles women face when seeking abortion care.
  
  
  METHODS
  We surveyed women who obtained abortion services (n = 398) at three public sector facilities in Mexico City to identify the obstacles women faced when obtaining abortions. We used logistic regression to test whether obstacles varied by sociodemographic characteristics.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Women with low education were more likely than high school-educated women to report difficulty getting appointments. Unmarried women and women with low education were more likely than married women or high school educated women to report difficulty getting time off work for appointments and arranging for transportation to the facility. Separated or divorced women were more likely than married women to report partner or other family member opposition to the abortion. Women who lived outside of Mexico City were more likely than Mexico City residents to report difficulty with transportation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Education, marital status, and place of residence were associated with the obstacles women reported. Strategies to improve access to care should be targeted to the groups at highest risk of experiencing obstacles: Women with primary education or lower, single women, separated/divorced women, and those residing outside of Mexico City.
authors.affiliation: Center for the Study of Women, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90036, USA. becker@obgyn.ucsf.edu
authors.forename: Davida
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Becker
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Diaz-Olavarrieta
authors.forename: Clara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Juarez
authors.forename: Sandra G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Garcia
authors.forename: Patricio
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sanhueza Smith
authors.forename: Cynthia C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Harper
mesh_terms: D000029:Abortion, Legal / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006306:Health Surveys; D006779:Hospitals, Public; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D017533:Marital Status; D008800:Mexico; D011247:Pregnancy; D011261:Pregnancy Trimester, First; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012944:Social Support