To determine when women receive pregnancy-related preventive health messages and to examine differences in receipt timing by maternal characteristics.
Design.
The cross-sectional secondary analyses used data from the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS).
Setting.
The study used PRAMS responses from Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, Ohio.
Subjects.
Study participants were women with a recent live birth.
Measures.
Health messages included mental health, safe medications, smoking, alcohol, and illegal drugs. The timing of message receipt was categorized as early (preconceptionally and prenatally) or late (prenatally only/never).
Analysis.
Weighted χ2 tests and multivariable logistic regression were used for analysis.
Results.
Among n = 3446, women with unintended pregnancies received all messages, except safe medications, significantly more early vs. late compared with women intending pregnancies (all p < .01). In multivariable analyses, there were no significant associations between timing of receipt and pregnancy intention, parity, preconception insurance status, or adequacy of prenatal care for any of the health messages. Hispanic women had increased odds of receiving the messages early compared with non-Hispanic white women, as did high school graduates vs. women with more education and women with lower household incomes vs. women with higher incomes.
Conclusions.
Women who may be perceived to be at higher risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes and/or engaging in high-risk behavior (minorities, lower education, lower income) appear to be getting messages early more often than do other women; messages are not reaching all women equally.
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