Primary Submission Category: Reproductive health
Current Preconception Health Status of Individuals Who Could Become Pregnant and The Impact of Geographic Region and Rurality Status in the United States
Authors: Madison Haiman Catherine Cubbin
Presenting Author: Madison Haiman*
As the maternal health crisis remains a significant problem, there has begun to be an increased recognition of the need for preventative healthcare before someone becomes pregnant to reduce the risk of maternal mortality and severe morbidity, otherwise known as preconception healthcare. Prior research has addressed independent preconception health factors, but there has been no large-scale analysis of individual-level comprehensive preconception health in the United States. The current study analyzed the 2019 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data from 37 states to answer the following question. What is the preconception health status of individuals who could become pregnant in the United States and how is it impacted by geographic region and rurality? A preconception health index was created based on the preconception health recommendations of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology and the American Academy of Family Physicians and included pregestational diabetes status, pregestational blood pressure status, body weight, mental health, risk of unintended pregnancy, risk of HIV contraction, alcohol use, nicotine use, nutrition behavior, and physical activity. For each measure reported, a score of one was added to the total score, for a potential total score as high as ten.
The final sample size is 33,381. Preliminary findings suggest that there is a difference in preconception health based on both geographic region and rurality status. The average preconception health score of participants living in rural areas (2.88) was worse than that of participants living in urban areas (2.59) nationally. Within each geographic region, it was also found that the average score of participants living in rural areas was worse than that of participants living in urban areas, with the biggest difference found in the Northeastern region. The worst ranking geographic regions overall were the Southern (2.67) and Midwestern (2.67) regions.