Objective: We evaluated the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on abortion service utilization and delays to care among people in North Carolina and assessed whether there was a differential impact between Latinas and non-Hispanic white patients.
Methods: We used state-level data to examine abortions performed in North Carolina health facilities from 2016 to 2021 (N = 167,058). We employed an interrupted time-series analysis to assess changes in the monthly number of abortions and the monthly proportion of abortions at 13 weeks or later gestation both at the pandemic onset (March 2020) and after (April 2020-December 2021). Primary analyses were conducted for all abortion patients and secondary analyses were limited to Latina patients and compared with non-Hispanic white patients.
Main findings: There was no significant change in the monthly number of abortions at the pandemic onset. After March 2020, there was a significant increase in the monthly number of abortions among the total study population. The monthly abortion count also increased for both groups between April 2020 and December 2021, though Latina patients had a greater monthly increase than non-Hispanic white patients. The proportion of abortions at 13 weeks or later dropped significantly at the pandemic onset among the total population by 1.5 (95% confidence interval [-2.3, -.7]) percentage points and remained at approximately the same level thereafter.
Principal conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic was associated with an increase in monthly abortion counts through 2021 and a decrease in the proportion of abortions after the first trimester at the pandemic's onset.
Introduction: Group prenatal care (GPNC) represents a promising alternative to individual prenatal care (IPNC) for better perinatal outcomes. Some studies suggest better perinatal outcomes with more GPNC sessions attended. The present study sought to examine patient characteristics associated with higher or lower GPNC session attendance.
Methods: We conducted a secondary analysis of data collected in a single-site randomized controlled trial comparing GPNC to IPNC, focusing solely on patients assigned to GPNC. The outcome of interest was GPNC session attendance. Predictors evaluated included patient sociodemographic, psychosocial, health, and health behavior characteristics. The association of patient characteristics with session attendance was assessed using Zero-Inflated Poisson regression.
Results: The sample (n = 1,068) was racially diverse (40.7% Black, 35.8% white, 22.1% Hispanic) and largely Medicaid eligible (92.3%). The characteristics of older age (adjusted relative risk [aRR] = 1.01; 95% confidence interval [CI] [1.00, 1.01]; p = .012), foreign nativity (aRR = 1.14; 95% CI [1.06, 1.22]; p < .001), and prenatal distress (aRR = 1.09; 95% CI [1.01, 1.19]; p = .030) were associated with higher session attendance. Being in a committed relationship but unmarried (aRR = .91; 95% CI [.85, .97]; p = .007), less than high school education (aRR = .89; 95% CI [.82, .97]; p = .007), depressive symptoms (aRR = .93; 95% CI [.87, .99]; p = .027), housing instability (aRR = .92; 95% CI [.84, .99]; p = .049), housing issues (aRR = .88; 95% CI [.80, .97]; p = .008), life stressors (aRR = .92; 95% CI [.86, .98]; p = .010), gestational diabetes (aRR = .81; 95% CI [.71, .91]; p < .001), and smoking (aRR = .92; 95% CI [.85, .99]; p = .040) were associated with lower session attendance.
Discussion: Patient characteristics were differentially associated with GPNC session attendance. Given that patients with less education, more depressive symptoms, housing instability, stressors, gestational diabetes, and prenatal cigarette use attended fewer sessions, adaptations to the GPNC model to reduce attendance barriers for these groups should be considered.
Purpose: Despite the direct impact of obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN) residency training on patient care, little research has examined how the Dobbs decision affects residents in abortion-restricting states who must travel out of state for abortion training. This study qualitatively explores the perceptions of OB/GYN residents living in abortion-restricting states and the impacts of obtaining out-of-state abortion skills training (OSAST) post-Dobbs.
Methods: Data are from a sample comprising 19 OB/GYN residents living in states that banned abortion or set 6-week gestational limits. Residents had either completed (n = 7), planned to complete (n = 11), or were unsure about completing (n = 1) OSAST. Participants completed semistructured interviews, and grounded theory analysis identified themes relating to their lived experiences with and impacts of OSAST.
Results: Seven key themes were identified in the data: financial challenges, personal life disruptions, emotional safety, administrative and legal obstacles, training adequacy concerns, future employment plans, and ethical and professional decision-making. Participants described substantial financial, logistical, social, and emotional challenges in obtaining abortion training. Limited access to abortion training impacted residents' perceived clinical competence and confidence in their ability to provide abortion care in the future.
Conclusion: OB/GYN residents' worries about their clinical competence given training constraints raise concerns about the ability of the future OB/GYN workforce to provide high-quality abortion care, particularly for patients already facing critical health disparities. The challenges they described suggest that residents seeking OSAST could benefit from additional support to streamline administrative processes and ease the process of temporary relocation.

