Prevalence of Access to Prenatal Care in the First Trimester of Pregnancy Among Black Women Compared to Other Races/Ethnicities: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Objective: To analyze the prevalence of access to prenatal care in the first trimester of pregnancy among black women compared to other races/ethnicities through a systematic review and meta-analysis.Methods: Searches were carried out at PUBMED, LILACS, Web of Science, Scopus, CINAHL, and in the grey literature. The quality of the studies and the risk of bias were analyzed using the Joanna Briggs Critical Appraisal Checklist for Analytical Cross-Sectional Studies instrument. The extracted data were tabulatesd and analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively through meta-analysis.Results: Black women had the lowest prevalence of access to prenatal services in the first trimester, with prevalence ranging from 8.1% to 74.81%, while among white women it varied from 44.9 to 94.0%; 60.7% of black women started prenatal care in the first trimester, while 72.9% of white women did so.Conclusion: Black women compared to other racial groups had lower prevalence of access to prenatal care, with less chance of access in the first trimester, and it can be inferred that the issue of race/skin color is an important determinant in obtaining obstetric care.Systematic Review Registration:https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42020159968_, PROSPERO CRD42020159968.

Racialized inequities in live birth after cancer: A population‐based study of 63,000 female adolescents and young adults with cancer

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Orthopaedic Diagnoses in the Black Pediatric Population

“…They also noted that Black mothers were less likely to start prenatal care in the first trimester, with only 60.7% of Black women starting care versus 72.9% of White women. 33 Early intervention with folate supplementation and screening procedures might help identify and/or prevent myelodysplasia, maternal diabetes, and gestational hypertension and provide for early intervention for mothers at risk of premature delivery. Prematurity, gestational hypertension, premature rupture of membranes, and emergency cesarean section are all risk factors of cerebral palsy (CP).…”

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“…With few opportunities for expressing emotions or vulnerabilities, unrealistic expectations allow shame, guilt, and low self-esteem to surface when women perceive themselves as not meeting the standards. These factors are associated with strained interpersonal relationships, stress-related health behaviors, the embodiment of stress, delayed self-care, decreased help-seeking behaviors, and a lack of social or emotional support [12][13][14][15][16], which erodes resilience and compounds psychological stress, depression, and anxiety [2,14,17]. Further research demonstrates that health practitioners often dismiss Black mothers' concerns using perceptions informed by a skewed understanding of Black women's strengths [18].…”