Abstract
Racial and ethnic disparities in maternal mortality and morbidity are stark in the United States, especially for non-Hispanic Black and African American women who experience elevated rates of pregnancy-related deaths and severe maternal morbidity.1,2 Effective postpartum healthcare is essential for optimizing birthing people’s health,3 yet little is known about non-Hispanic Black and African American women’s experiences with postpartum healthcare in the year following delivery. The purpose of this study was to describe non-Hispanic Black and African American women’s experiences with postpartum healthcare throughout the one-year postpartum period from their perspectives. For this qualitative descriptive study semi-structured interviews with 20 non-Hispanic Black and African American women in Indiana were conducted within 12 months of childbirth. Data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Participants identified eight types of positive and eight types of negative experiences interacting with healthcare providers and nine types of facilitators and 12 types of barriers to healthcare during the one-year postpartum period. Finally, participants shared eight recommendations for improving postpartum healthcare for non-Hispanic Black and African American women in Indiana. The findings revealed (1) participants’ feelings about their postpartum healthcare were primarily influenced by relational experiences with providers (e.g. feeling attended to or dismissed, treated well or badly, rushed or not rushed) and whether their care needs were or were not met by providers, and (2) participants’ experiences accessing healthcare were primarily influenced by health system factors (e.g. having or not having enough appointments, receiving or not receiving referrals to other care), resource and practical factors (e.g. childcare, transportation), and financial and insurance factors (e.g. insurance covering healthcare costs). Participants recommended more postpartum healthcare, mental health support, guidance, and resources. They also recommended providers listen more, be aware of cultural differences, and treat women of color fairly. The study results provide preliminary insights into non-Hispanic Black and African American women’s experiences with healthcare in Indiana throughout the one-year postpartum period and support the need for additional understanding and multi-level strategies to enable more respectful, equitable, and supportive services.
Notes
References:
1. Fleszar, L.G., Bryant, A.S., Johnson, C.O., Blacker, B.F., Aravkin, A., Baumann, M. Dwyer-Lindgren, L., Kelly, Y.O.; Mass, K., Zheng, P., & Roth, G.A. (2023). Trends in state-level maternal mortality by racial and ethnic group in the United States. JAMA, 330(1), 52-61. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2023.9043
2. Trost, S.L., Busacker, A., Leonard, M., Chandra, G., Hollier, L., Goodman, D., Wright, M., Harvey, A., & Joseph, N. (2024, May 28). Pregnancy-related deaths: Data from maternal mortality review committees in 38 U.S. States, 2020. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://www.cdc.gov/maternal-mortality/php/data-research/
3. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. (2018). ACOG committee opinion: Optimizing postpartum care. https://www.acog.org/clinical/clinical-guidance/committee-opinion/articles/2018/05/optimizing-postpartum-care
Sigma Membership
Alpha
Type
Poster
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Descriptive/Correlational
Research Approach
Qualitative Research
Keywords:
Health Equity or Social Determinants of Health, Promoting Clinical Outcomes, Postpartum Healthcare, BIPOC, Black and African American Women
Recommended Citation
Sposato, Margaret F.; Draucker, Claire; Johnson, Jasmine D.; Tully, Kristin; and Otte, Julie, "Experiences of Non-Hispanic Black and African American Women with Postpartum Healthcare" (2025). Biennial Convention (CONV). 71.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/convention/2025/posters_2025/71
Conference Name
48th Biennial Convention
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
Conference Year
2025
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record. All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository. All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Date of Issue
2025-12-06
Funder(s)
National Institute of Nursing Research, Swisher Foundation, Indiana University School of Nursing
Experiences of Non-Hispanic Black and African American Women with Postpartum Healthcare
Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
Racial and ethnic disparities in maternal mortality and morbidity are stark in the United States, especially for non-Hispanic Black and African American women who experience elevated rates of pregnancy-related deaths and severe maternal morbidity.1,2 Effective postpartum healthcare is essential for optimizing birthing people’s health,3 yet little is known about non-Hispanic Black and African American women’s experiences with postpartum healthcare in the year following delivery. The purpose of this study was to describe non-Hispanic Black and African American women’s experiences with postpartum healthcare throughout the one-year postpartum period from their perspectives. For this qualitative descriptive study semi-structured interviews with 20 non-Hispanic Black and African American women in Indiana were conducted within 12 months of childbirth. Data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Participants identified eight types of positive and eight types of negative experiences interacting with healthcare providers and nine types of facilitators and 12 types of barriers to healthcare during the one-year postpartum period. Finally, participants shared eight recommendations for improving postpartum healthcare for non-Hispanic Black and African American women in Indiana. The findings revealed (1) participants’ feelings about their postpartum healthcare were primarily influenced by relational experiences with providers (e.g. feeling attended to or dismissed, treated well or badly, rushed or not rushed) and whether their care needs were or were not met by providers, and (2) participants’ experiences accessing healthcare were primarily influenced by health system factors (e.g. having or not having enough appointments, receiving or not receiving referrals to other care), resource and practical factors (e.g. childcare, transportation), and financial and insurance factors (e.g. insurance covering healthcare costs). Participants recommended more postpartum healthcare, mental health support, guidance, and resources. They also recommended providers listen more, be aware of cultural differences, and treat women of color fairly. The study results provide preliminary insights into non-Hispanic Black and African American women’s experiences with healthcare in Indiana throughout the one-year postpartum period and support the need for additional understanding and multi-level strategies to enable more respectful, equitable, and supportive services.
Description
The purpose of this study was to describe non-Hispanic Black and African American women’s experiences with postpartum healthcare during the one-year postpartum period in Indiana. The study results provide preliminary insights into non-Hispanic Black and African American women’s experiences with healthcare in Indiana throughout the one-year postpartum period and support the need for additional understanding and multi-level strategies to enable more respectful, equitable, and supportive services.