SAN DIEGO – Young women who received group prenatal visits under the CenteringPregnancy model were significantly more likely than were women receiving traditional prenatal care to elect long-acting reversible contraceptives postpartum, results from a small study show.
CenteringPregnancy (CP) – a group prenatal care model for women with due dates around the same time – has been touted as a way to decrease the incidence of preterm deliveries, but little is known about potential additional benefits for other birth-related outcomes, lead study author
Dr. Dikea Roussos-Ross
CP sessions “follow the regular prenatal visit structure but the care itself is in a group setting,” said Dr. Roussos-Ross, an ob.gyn. at the University of Florida, Gainesville. “Each session lasts an hour and a half to 2 hours. In that group session, patients receive routine prenatal care and increased knowledge of various topics in pregnancy.”
Dr. Roussos-Ross and her associates set out to compare pregnancy-related outcomes in 20 patients aged 18-21 years who received care through the CP model, with a random sample of 20 patients who received care via the traditional care model in women’s health clinics at the University of Florida Health from January to December of 2014. They found that a significantly higher proportion of women in the CP group were African American, compared with those in the control group (85% vs. 55%, respectively; P = .024). In addition, uptake of long-acting reversible contraceptives was significantly higher among the CP group, compared with the control group (32% vs. 0%; P = .0292).
“One of the centering sessions is revolved around the education of different contraceptive uses, so they get information on the different options that they have,” Dr. Roussos-Ross said.
Differences did not reach statistical significance in other birth-related outcomes, but trends favored the CP group in most of the variables studied, including higher rates of flu vaccination (50% vs. 30%; P = .196), Tdap vaccination (60% vs. 35%; P = .11), breastfeeding initiation (95% vs. 90%; P = .579), and breastfeeding at 6 weeks postpartum (42% vs. 20%; P = .2427). Some adverse outcomes were lower in the CP group, such as low birth weight (0% vs. 10%; P = .1468), and the proportion of patients who failed to appear for their postpartum visit (21% vs. 35%; P = .333).
“The CP program was not able to demonstrate an improved preterm delivery outcome in adolescent mothers,” Dr. Roussos-Ross said. “However, this small study was able to demonstrate complementary benefits of CP in adolescent mothers, including improved breastfeeding rates, immunization rates, and [long-acting reversible contraception] usage rates. Offering adolescent mothers group care allows for greater time with their provider, which in turn may lead to increased knowledge and understanding of health and pregnancy-related outcomes.”
The researchers received grant funding from the March of Dimes for start-up costs.