title: Use of postpartum care: predictors and barriers.
abstract: This study aimed to identify actual and perceived barriers to postpartum care among a probability sample of women who gave birth in Los Angeles County, California in 2007. Survey data from the 2007 Los Angeles Mommy and Baby (LAMB) study (N = 4,075) were used to identify predictors and barriers to postpartum care use. The LAMB study was a cross-sectional, population-based study that examined maternal and child health outcomes during the preconception, prenatal, and postpartum periods. Multivariable analyses identified low income, being separated/divorced and never married, trying hard to get pregnant or trying to prevent pregnancy, Medi-Cal insurance holders, and lack of prenatal care to be risk factors of postpartum care nonuse, while Hispanic ethnicity was protective. The most commonly reported barriers to postpartum care use were feeling fine, being too busy with the baby, having other things going on, and a lack of need. Findings from this study can inform the development of interventions targeting subgroups at risk for not obtaining postpartum care. Community education and improved access to care can further increase the acceptability of postpartum visits and contribute to improvements in women's health. Postpartum care can serve as a gateway to engage underserved populations in the continuum of women's health care.
authors.affiliation: Health Resources Services Administration, Maternal and Child Health Bureau, Office of Epidemiology and Research, Division of Research, 5600 Fishers Lane, Room 18A-55, Rockville, MD 20857, USA ; Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health Programs, Research Evaluation and Planning Division, 600 S. Commonwealth Avenue, 8th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90005, USA.
authors.forename: Jessica N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: DiBari
authors.affiliation: Health Resources Services Administration, Maternal and Child Health Bureau, Office of Epidemiology and Research, Division of Research, 5600 Fishers Lane, Room 18A-55, Rockville, MD 20857, USA.
authors.forename: Stella M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health Programs, Research Evaluation and Planning Division, 600 S. Commonwealth Avenue, 8th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90005, USA.
authors.forename: Shin M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Chao
authors.affiliation: Health Resources Services Administration, Maternal and Child Health Bureau, Office of Epidemiology and Research, Division of Research, 5600 Fishers Lane, Room 18A-55, Rockville, MD 20857, USA.
authors.forename: Michael C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Lu
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D001213:Asian / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior / Q000208:ethnology*; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007198:Indians, North American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D007223:Infant; D015141:Los Angeles; D017533:Marital Status / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008484:Medicaid / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011181:Postnatal Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011203:Poverty / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D016742:Preconception Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011247:Pregnancy; D049168:Pregnancy, Unplanned; D011295:Prenatal Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014481:United States; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055815:Young Adult