Department of Nursing, Calvin College, 1734 Knollcrest Circle SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546, USA.
J Midwifery Womens Health. 2013 Jul-Aug;58(4):416-22. doi: 10.1111/jmwh.12078. Epub 2013 Jul 23.
This study explored low-income women's perspectives on how to promote early recognition of pregnancy as one strategy to address community residents' concerns related to unintended pregnancy. Unintended pregnancy, which is more prevalent among low-income women and minorities, has been associated with various adverse pregnancy outcomes.
This study used the ideological perspective of community-based participatory research. Six focus groups were conducted in 3 low-income, urban, medically underserved neighborhoods with ethnically diverse populations. Neighborhood women who were either pregnant or had experienced a pregnancy within 3 years were invited to participate in the study. A structured interview guide focused the discussion on how to promote early recognition of pregnancy within the existing context of unintended pregnancies in the neighborhoods. Focus-group sessions were audiotaped, then transcribed verbatim; the data were analyzed using an open-coding template approach assisted by QSR NVivo 8 software.
Forty-one women aged 18 to 44 years participated in the study. Thirty-nine percent were African American, 24.4% were Hispanic/Latino, 19.5% were American Indians, and 17.1% were white. Three primary themes were identified: 1) women should know the menstrual/ovulation and pregnancy-related changes that occur in their bodies; 2) women should be prepared to confirm their pregnancies early, as soon as they suspect they may be pregnant; and 3) both information and emotional support are needed for pregnancy-related issues. "Knowing your body" was the strongest advice to promote early recognition of pregnancy.
The participants in this study suggested that education about reproductive changes should be initiated during early adolescence and in the preconception period. Early testing and confirmation of pregnancy should also be promoted, especially for women who have unprotected intercourse. Local resources for information and emotional support during pregnancy should be accessible to women.
本研究探讨了低收入女性对如何促进早期妊娠识别的看法，这是解决社区居民对意外妊娠相关问题的策略之一。意外妊娠在低收入女性和少数族裔中更为普遍，与各种不良妊娠结局有关。
本研究采用社区参与性研究的思想观点。在 3 个低收入、城市、医疗服务不足、人口种族多样的社区进行了 6 个焦点小组。邀请了那些怀孕或在 3 年内经历过怀孕的社区女性参加研究。结构化访谈指南集中讨论了如何在社区中现有的意外怀孕背景下促进早期妊娠识别。对焦点小组会议进行了录音，然后逐字转录；使用 QSR NVivo 8 软件辅助的开放式编码模板方法对数据进行分析。
41 名 18 至 44 岁的女性参加了研究。39%是非洲裔美国人，24.4%是西班牙裔/拉丁裔，19.5%是美洲印第安人，17.1%是白人。确定了三个主要主题：1）女性应该了解她们身体中发生的月经/排卵和妊娠相关变化；2）女性应该准备尽早确认怀孕，一旦怀疑可能怀孕就应该这样做；3）怀孕相关问题需要信息和情感支持。“了解自己的身体”是促进早期妊娠识别的最强建议。
本研究的参与者建议，应在青少年早期和孕前阶段开始进行生殖变化的教育。还应促进早期妊娠检测和确认，特别是对于有未保护性行为的女性。怀孕期间的信息和情感支持的本地资源应该让女性能够获得。
