Health care access and utilization among pregnant adolescents

Abstract

Purpose: To assess access to and use of health care by adolescents prior to their becoming pregnant.

Methods: An interviewer-administered questionnaire was completed by all pregnant adolescents (n = 65) entering the Rochester Adolescent Maternity Program (RAMP) between January and June 1994. Questions addressed access and utilization issues including routine care and other services used, and existence of a regular source of care prior to pregnancy.

Results: Sixty-one adolescents (94%) completed questionnaires. Almost all (93%) had made a doctor or clinic visit, and 77% had had a checkup in the prior year. Most had Medicaid (85%) or private insurance (13%). The median number of visits to a regular source of care was 2.0 (range 0-10). Most frequently reported sources of regular care were hospital clinics (43%), community health centers (26%), and private physician offices (15%). Two-thirds (66%) reported having used multiple sources of care. Of those who used other sources in addition to a primary care source, 40% used reproductive health clinics. Adolescents whose primary care source was a traditional physician's office were more likely to also use reproductive health clinics than those who reported using more comprehensive primary care sources.

Conclusions: Most pregnant adolescents in this sample had previously used routine primary care, usually in hospital clinics or health centers. Many of those adolescents also use multiple sources of care, most often for reproductive services. Access to reproductive health services does not seem to have been a problem for these adolescents prior to their pregnancies.

PIP: An interviewer-administered questionnaire was administered to all 65 pregnant adolescents entering the Rochester Adolescent Maternity Program (RAMP) between January and June 1994 as part of a study to measure access to and the use of health care by respondents before they became pregnant. 61 (94%) young women completed the questionnaires. 93% had made a doctor or clinic visit and 77% had had a checkup in the prior year. 85% had Medicaid and 13% had private insurance. The median number of visits to a regular source of care was 2.0 in the range of 0-10. 43% reported receiving regular care from hospital clinics, 26% from community health centers, and 15% from private physician offices. 66% reported having used multiple sources of care. 40% of those who used other sources in addition to a primary care source used reproductive health clinics. Adolescents whose source of primary care was a traditional physician's office were more likely to also use reproductive health clinics than those who reported using more comprehensive primary care sources.