Thayagabalu Sionika, Lemas Dominick J, Wright Stacy, Gillum Bethsaida Lopez, Bahorski Jessica S
Department of Health Outcomes and Bioinformatics, College of Medicine, University of Florida (UF).
Department of Health Outcomes and Bioinformatics and the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, College of Medicine, UF.
J Prenat Perinat Psychol Health. 2025 Spring;39(1):5-21. doi: 10.62858/apph250401. Epub 2025 Apr 21.
The postpartum period is associated with a high prevalence of maternal mortality and morbidity, particularly among rural communities. This study aimed to identify differences in the perceived benefit of the postpartum visit among participants in rural and non-rural counties. This cross-sectional study recruited postpartum mothers from counties in north-central Florida. Participants completed an online survey focused on experiences during pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. Eligibility criteria included being at least 18 and giving birth to a healthy, full-term, singleton infant in the past year. Mann-Whitney U and Fisher's exact tests were used to compare the differences in mothers from rural versus non-rural counties. Participants ( = 91) lived in rural ( = 18) and non-rural counties ( = 73), and most attended the postpartum visit (93.8% of rural and 97.2% of non-rural participants). Rural participants reported higher scores in receiving information on health services (4.24 vs. 3.6, = 0.02), physical health (4.24 vs. 3.43, = 0.01), and mood changes (3.71 vs. 3.21, = 0.14) compared to non-rural participants. Rural participants perceived greater benefits from the postpartum visit than non-rural participants, highlighting the need to explore why attendance rates at this visit are often low for mothers from rural counties. These results support the need to restructure postpartum care to meet the needs of mothers from all areas and make policy changes to support mothers. Future research should explore the individual barriers and facilitators to postpartum care for those in rural versus non-rural areas.
产后时期与孕产妇死亡率和发病率的高流行率相关，尤其是在农村社区。本研究旨在确定农村和非农村县的参与者在产后访视中感知到的益处的差异。这项横断面研究从佛罗里达州中北部的县招募了产后母亲。参与者完成了一项在线调查，重点是怀孕、分娩和产后期间的经历。纳入标准包括年龄至少18岁且在过去一年中分娩出健康、足月的单胎婴儿。使用曼-惠特尼U检验和费舍尔精确检验来比较农村和非农村县母亲之间的差异。参与者（n = 91）居住在农村（n = 18）和非农村县（n = 73），大多数人参加了产后访视（农村参与者的比例为93.8%，非农村参与者的比例为97.2%）。与非农村参与者相比，农村参与者在获得健康服务信息（4.24对3.6，P = 0.02）、身体健康（4.24对3.43，P = 0.01）和情绪变化（3.71对3.21，P = 0.14）方面的得分更高。农村参与者比非农村参与者从产后访视中感知到更大的益处，这突出了探索为什么农村县母亲的产后访视出勤率往往较低的必要性。这些结果支持了重组产后护理以满足所有地区母亲的需求并进行政策变革以支持母亲的必要性。未来的研究应该探索农村和非农村地区产后护理的个体障碍和促进因素。
