Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Postpartum Care in the Greater Boston Area During the COVID-19 Pandemic

作者：Tianyue Mi, Peiyin Hung, Xiaoming Li, Alecia J. McGregor, Jingui He, Jie Zhou · 发表于：JAMA Network Open · 年份：2022 · DOI：10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.16355 · 被引用次数：99 · 研究领域：COVID-19 Impact on Reproduction、Maternal and Perinatal Health Interventions、Maternal and fetal healthcare

Importance: Racial and ethnic disparities in postpartum care access have been well identified in the United States. Such disparities could be exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic because of amplified economic distress and compromised social capital among pregnant women who belong to racial or ethnic minority groups. Objective: To examine whether the COVID-19 pandemic is associated with an increase in the existing racial and ethnic disparity in postpartum care access. Design, Setting, and Participants: This was a retrospective cohort study using electronic health records data. Multinomial logistic regressions in an interrupted time series approach were used to assess monthly changes in postpartum care access across Asian, Hispanic, non-Hispanic Black (hereafter, Black), non-Hispanic White (hereafter, White) women, and women of other racial groups, controlling for maternal demographic and clinical characteristics. Eligible participants were women who gave live birth at 8 hospitals in the greater Boston, Massachusetts, area from January 1, 2019, to November 30, 2021, allowing for tracking 90-day postpartum access until March 1, 2022. Exposures: Delivery period: prepandemic (January to December 2019), early pandemic (January to March 2020), and late pandemic (April 2020 to November 2021). Main Outcomes and Measures: Postpartum care within 90 days after childbirth was categorized into 3 groups: attended, canceled, and nonscheduled. Results: A total of 45 588 women were included. P...