African American Women and Prenatal Care

Abstract

Poor patient–provider interaction among racial/ethnic minorities is associated with disparities in health care. In this descriptive, cross-sectional study, we examine African American women’s perspectives and experiences of patient–provider interaction (communication and perceived discrimination) during their initial prenatal visit and their influences on perceptions of care received and prenatal health behaviors. Pregnant African American women ( n = 204) and their providers ( n = 21) completed a pre- and postvisit questionnaire at the initial prenatal visit. Women were also interviewed face to face at the subsequent return visit. Women perceived high quality patient–provider communication (PPC) and perceived low discrimination in their interaction with providers. Multiple regression analyses showed that PPC had a positive effect on trust in provider ( p < .001) and on prenatal care satisfaction ( p < .001) but not on adherence to selected prenatal health behaviors. Findings suggest that quality PPC improves the prenatal care experience for African American women.