341 - Is Preferred Language a Barrier to Receipt of Preconception Care?

Poster Number: 341
Publication Number: 341.1745

Background: Although receipt of preconception care screening (PCCS) is recommended for women of childbearing age, most report they do not receive any PCCS. Our previous work found receipt of PCCS in Hispanic women to be equivalent to non-Hispanic White women despite being identified as a higher-risk group. However, little is known regarding the influence of preferred language on receipt of PCCS. Therefore, we sought to examine the impact of preferred language in the context of ethnicity on PCCS.

Objective: To determine if maternal preferred language is associated with differences in recollection of PCCS for diabetes (DM), hypertension (HTN) & family medical history (FMH).

Design/Methods: This was a cross sectional (2016-2020), multicenter survey study of consenting mothers (≥ 18 years) with singleton live-born infants. Preferred language was defined as mother’s choice of survey tool language (English or Spanish). Bivariate analysis compared recall of PCCS & preferred language with maternal characteristics. Logistic regression assessed odds of PCCS by language controlling for age, race, marital status, education, substance use, adverse life events, obesity, exercise, health insurance, foreign born status, & pre-existing DM & HTN. Subgroup analysis was performed using the same regression models among only self-identified Hispanic mothers.

Results: Response rate was 53% (1293/2439) of those approached with 58 surveys incomplete. Of the total 1235 surveys, 1076 were English & 159 Spanish. Recollection of PCCS (DM, HTN & FMH) did not differ by language but differed by race/ethnicity with highest rates observed in Hispanic mothers (Table 1). In adjusted analyses, mothers who completed the survey in Spanish had higher odds of PCCS for DM (OR 3.60, 95% CI [1.86 – 6.95]), & HTN (OR 2.02, 95% CI [1.05 - 3.90]) but not FMH (OR 1.63, 95% CI [0.86 - 3.11]) compared with surveys in English. Among self-identified Hispanic women, odds of PCCS for DM remained significantly higher in surveys completed in Spanish (OR 2.71, 95% CI [1.28 – 5.72]) compared with Hispanic women preferring English. No differences were seen among Hispanic women by language for HTN or FMH.

Conclusion(s): Overall, women preferring Spanish language were more likely to recall PCCS for DM, & HTN, but not FMH. This result persisted for DM PCCS when limited to self-identified Hispanic mothers by preferred language. In our population, language was not a barrier to recall receipt of PCCS when controlling for social determinants of health. Future studies should consider both self-identified race/ethnicity & preferred language when assessing health outcomes.