U.S.-born Latina mothers face a much higher risk for pregnancy complications than immigrant Latina mothers in California, according to a study by the UCLA Center for the Study of Latino Health and Culture led by founding Director David Hayes-Bautista.
Overall, U.S.-born Latina mothers have higher rates of pregnancy complications than immigrant Latina mothers — 90.5 complications per 1,000 live births, compared to 71.8 complications per 1,000 live births. About 125,000 U.S.-born Latinas will turn 15 — the onset of the age of fertility — every year for the next two decades. By the year 2020, the vast majority of Latina mothers will be U.S.-born.
“As more and more Latinas in the United States reach the age of fertility and do not receive timely prenatal care, the rates of pregnancy complications and adverse outcomes — both for the women and their babies — will increase tremendously,� said Hayes-Bautista, who also is a professor of medicine.
The study also found that the majority of women giving birth in California are now Latina, and they have a relatively low rate of receiving timely prenatal health care.
Each day more than 112 Latinas give birth in California with late or no prenatal care. Timely access to prenatal care, defined as care received in the first trimester of pregnancy, can reduce complications. The study points to future health risks for women who do not receive timely prenatal care.
“One of the most important things a mother can do for the health of her child is to receive prenatal care in a timely fashion,� Hayes-Bautista said.
Latina mothers are less likely than non-Hispanic white mothers to receive timely prenatal care. While 89.5 percent of non-Hispanic white mothers began their prenatal care in the first trimester, 82.2 percent of Latina mothers did so. By comparison, 86.5 percent of Asian/Pacific
Islander mothers and 80.9 percent of African-American mothers received prenatal care during the first trimester. The relatively low percentage of prenatal health care in the first trimester for Latina mothers translates into a large number of Latina mothers getting care in the second or third trimester of pregnancy, or not at all.
In reviewing 2002 birth data, researchers found 40,888 Latina mothers out of 263,023 began prenatal care in the second or third trimester or received no prenatal care at all, compared to 15,662 of 164,581 non-Hispanic whites, 7,627 of 63,599 Asian/Pacific Islanders, 5,189 of 31,381 African Americans and 534 of 2,261 Native Americans.
“Due to a number of obstacles encountered in accessing health care, Latinas represent the largest number of women who do not receive prenatal care,� Hayes-Bautista said.
Data from ZIP codes provides information for efforts to focus outreach to Latina mothers who are not getting timely prenatal care. The Southern California ZIP code with the largest number of Latina mothers not getting timely prenatal care — 299 — is 90011. Ranked No. 2 is ZIP code 92201 in Riverside, where 283 Latina mothers did not receive timely prenatal care. The ZIP code in Orange County that ranked highest on the list — at No. 5 — was 92704; there were 233 Latina mothers there who did not get care in the first trimester of pregnancy.
“As Hispanic births continue to become the majority in California and rise across the United States, Hispanic education outreach efforts as to the benefits of early prenatal care become more important than ever,� Hayes-Bautista said. “Without it, the future and health of many Hispanics is in jeopardy.�
“Supporting this study is an important step towards better understanding the health needs in the communities Tenet serves,� said Stephen Neuman, chief executive officer, Tenet California Group, which provides unrestricted support for the center’s research. “This study further underscores the need in the community for Tenet’s many free outreach programs including pregnancy initiatives for teens and prenatal care programs.�
The study supports access to early prenatal care as one of the most important steps a new mother can take to ensure a healthy delivery. According to the study, Latinas who initiated prenatal care in the first trimester had the lowest rate of pregnancy complications — 77.6 complications per 1,000 live births. Those initiating care in the second and third trimesters experienced a higher rate of complications — 86.9 per 1,000 live births. Latinas who received no prenatal care had an extremely high rate of pregnancy complications — 134.1 per 1,000 live births — nearly twice the complication rate of those who initiated care in the first trimester.
Additional focus group research conducted by Hayes-Bautista points to a variety of factors resulting in this lack of prenatal care, including lack of awareness of pregnancy, pregnancy denial and health insurance coverage.
“We have anecdotal evidence that Latinas who do not receive timely prenatal care were not aware, for a number of reasons, that they were pregnant,� Hayes-Bautista said. “They could have benefited from better access to educational efforts and care delivery programs.�
About the study
Data for the study came from the Department of Health Services Master Birth Files from 2002. The report is available on the center’s Web site at www.cesla.med.ucla.edu/.
About UCLA
Since 1992 the UCLA Center for the Study of Latino Health and Culture has been a resource for cutting-edge research, education and public information about Latinos, their health and their role in California. Under the leadership of Hayes-Bautista, the center, part of the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, has been the lead institution to explode myths and stereotypes about Latinos in California society, provide reliable data on Latino health, emphasize the positive contributions of Latinos to the state’s economy and society, and inform the public about the important emerging Latino medical market. Tenet Health Systems has provided unrestricted research support for the Center’s research since 2000.
About Tenet California
Tenet California, part of Tenet Healthcare Corporation (NYSE: THC), is composed of 39 acute care hospitals in California and one each in Nebraska and Nevada. Through its subsidiaries, Tenet owns and operates the largest number of private hospitals in California. Facilities include USC University Hospital, a renowned academic medical center in Los Angeles, and more than two dozen hospitals that serve the large and diverse population in Los Angeles and Orange counties.