Acculturation and Utilization of the Post-Partum Medical Visit Among Latinas

Problem: Latina mothers in the U.S. have a significantly lower utilization of postpartum care. Acculturation (a process to adjusting to a new culture) has been found to influence health care service utilization outcomes. Data: originates from a randomized controlled study of 441 pregnant Latina mothers. An educational-intervention (Familias Sanas-Healthy Families) was designed to increase the utilization of postpartum care. Participants were recruited at a local hospital. Baseline measures including the Bicultural Involvement Questionnaire (BIQ, Szapocznik, Kurtines, & Fernandez, 1980) were collected. Medical records provided data on compliance with a postpartum appointment. Analysis and Results: Five acculturation groups were produced by following Coatsworth and Molina (2005) approach: Alienation (N=20), Separation (N=73), Assimilation (N=11), Bicultural (N=123), and Moderate (N=74). Logistic regression analysis was conducted using the Bicultural group as a reference, and controlling for parity. Results suggest that the separation group is less likely to come to a postpartum visit compared to women in the bicultural group (p=.02). But, no other significant differences were found with the other groups. Discussion: The results of the study have implications in the development of interventions that target immigrant women. Differences in acculturation levels may have an impact on how health interventions are interpreted/processed by participants, and how they could be adjusted to increase their effectiveness.