Reproductive Health

Influences on Women'southward Care Seeking at Planned Parenthood Health Centers in Two Southern States

Under a Creative Commons license

Open admission

Abstract

Introduction

In the context of a shifting health care landscape, amend understanding of the factors that motivate women to seek services from specialized family planning clinics like Planned Parenthood (PP) tin can provide insights about potential changes in the office of specialized family planning clinics.

Methods

Nosotros surveyed 725 women seeking services at ii PP health centers in Louisiana and Kentucky from March 2016 to May 2017. We examined differences in care-seeking between women who had varying levels of admission including those who did and did not have insurance instability or a regular source of care (RSOC) besides the clinic.

Results

More 60% of women attending the health centers did not take a regular source of care and well-nigh 40% experienced instability in insurance. Women who experienced insurance instability and a lack of a regular source of care more often sought primary preventive services such as pap tests and well-woman care at PP than women with better access. For women with better access, PP wellness centers also served important roles for those seeking contraceptive and sexually transmitted infection–related services. The about frequent reasons for choosing PP were that it was faster to get an appointment, wanting to go to the PP clinic more than other clinics, and the confidentiality of services.

Conclusions

Our assay suggests that PP health centers in Southern states still provide vital services for women with and without other sources of care and are critical for women needing admission to timely services for preventive and sexually transmitted infection–related care.

Cited past (0)

Anna Newton-Levinson, MPH, PhD, is a postdoctoral fellow at the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University. Her research focuses on better measuring access to equitable sexual and reproductive health care.

Megan Higdon, MPH, is a Project Director at The Center for Reproductive Health Research in the Southeast (RISE) at the Rollins Schoolhouse of Public Health. Her inquiry interests include exploring access to and equity in sexual and reproductive wellness services in the U.s.a..

Roger Rochat, Doctor, is Professor of Global Wellness in the Hubert Department of Global health at the Rollins Schoolhouse of Public Health at Emory University. His expertise is in sexual and reproductive health epidemiology and programs.

Sarah C. Blake, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Section of Health Policy & Management at the Rollins School of Public Wellness at Emory University. Her inquiry focuses on the financing and delivery of reproductive health services, with a focus on Medicaid and prophylactic internet providers.

Michael Kramer, PhD, is an Acquaintance Professor of Epidemiology and Manager of the Maternal and Child Wellness Eye of Excellence at the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University. His expertise is in the social determinants of wellness in MCH populations.

Andrea Swartzendruber, PhD, MPH, is an Assistant Professor in the Epidemiology and Biostatistics Department at the Academy of Georgia College of Public Wellness. She studies the impacts of policies on sexual and reproductive wellness.

Jessica Grand. Sales, PhD, is Associate Professor in the Department of Behavioral Sciences and Health Education at the Rollins Schoolhouse of Public Wellness at Emory Academy. Her enquiry interests include using implementation science to meliorate the delivery of sexual and reproductive health programs and services.

© 2021 The Authors. Published past Elsevier Inc. on behalf of Jacobs Institute of Women'south Wellness.