Sociodemographic Disparities in Utilization of Childbirth Education

Abstract

Childbirth education is a preventive intervention intended to improve maternal and neonatal outcomes that is complementary to antenatal health visits. It is not currently known if disparities in access to childbirth education plays a role in maternal and newborn health disparities in the United States. In this study, we used data from the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) to identify disparities in utilization of childbirth education. We identified lower odds of utilization of childbirth education for pregnant people with lower socioeconomic status, including use of Medicaid, and rural residence. Our analysis indicates that characteristics that reduce access to maternal health care also reduce access to childbirth education. This finding has important implications for communities that use childbirth education as a way to help reduce disparities in maternal or newborn outcomes.