142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition

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Lo Que Pasó, Pasó (What happened, happened): Latina women's thoughts, feelings, and beliefs about unintended pregnancy

142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition (November 15 - November 19, 2014): http://www.apha.org/events-and-meetings/annual
Tuesday, November 18, 2014 : 1:15 PM - 1:30 PM

Natalie D. Hernandez, PhD, MPH , The Satcher Health Leadership Institute, Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA
Ellen Daley, PhD , Department of Community and Family Health, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL
Julie Baldwin, PhD , College of Public Health, Department of Community and Family Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL
Eric R. Buhi, MPH, PhD , Department of Community and Family Health, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL
Kathleen O'Rourke, PhD , Department of Epidemiology and Biostatisics, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL
Nancy Romero-Daza, PhD , Department of Anthropology, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL
Introduction: To date, reasons for higher rates of unintended pregnancy among Latinas are understudied. In order to understand the causes of disparities in unintended pregnancy rates, we must first explore the meaning of unintended pregnancy and consider cultural expectations and norms regarding pregnancy among Latinas.

Purpose: To explore Latinas’ thoughts, feelings, and beliefs about pregnancy, motherhood, and unintended pregnancy and the sociocultural factors identified as contributors to those beliefs. 

Methods: In-depth interviews were conducted with 20 U.S. born, English-speaking Latinas aged 18-25 years seeking a confirmation pregnancy test at clinics, in south Florida, some of which provided abortion services.

Results: Participants reported having an array of simultaneous and contradictory desires, beliefs, feelings, and experiences regarding pregnancy. These beliefs were related to complicated life situations, such as social and economic hardships, and were facilitated by Latino cultural beliefs, such as fatalism  religiosity, and familismo. The term unintended pregnancy elicited negative responses and the act of deliberately trying to plan a pregnancy was foreign to many of these women. 

Conclusions: Study findings point to the need for a new dialogue concerning public health’s current approach to family planning, which assumes that optimal pregnancies are deliberately planned, and that unintended pregnancies generally have more negative outcomes. These beliefs may not be relevant among all cultural and ethnic groups. Although this was a small, exploratory study, its findings suggest the need for a greater understanding of the multiple factors that shape the meaning of unintended pregnancy among Latinas.

Learning Areas:

Assessment of individual and community needs for health education
Diversity and culture
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Public health or related research
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
Describe Latinas thoughts, feelings, and beliefs about pregnancy and motherhood as well as their experiences with an unintended pregnancy. Discuss factors that can inform the development of public health programs and policy initiatives to decrease disparities in rates of unintended pregnancy among Latinas.

Keyword(s): Family Planning, Health Disparities/Inequities

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am the Principal Investigator of this study, and have experience conducting research on women’s reproductive health, family planning, health disparities and sexually transmitted diseases.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.