CHSU Discovery

Abstract

Prenatal care is essential for improving maternal and neonatal outcomes, yet rural communities like Huron, California, face significant barriers such as limited healthcare access, language barriers, and socioeconomic constraints. This study investigates factors influencing prenatal appointment attendance at United Health Centers (UHC) Huron to inform targeted interventions and improve care. We conducted a retrospective analysis of de-identified electronic health records from 2019-2024, focusing on appointment cancellations and rescheduling rates. Our sample included 6,094 pregnant patients, the majority of whom were aged 22 years or older (90.7%), single (62.1%), Spanish-speaking (71.6%), Hispanic or Latino (86.4%), and on a capitated health plan (73.1%). Overall, 55.3% of appointments were attended, and 17.2% were rescheduled. Chi-square tests revealed significant associations between appointment status and marital status (p<0.001), age (p=0.015), and language spoken (p<0.001), while appointment rescheduling was associated with marital status (p=0.01) and age (p=0.011). These findings suggest that demographic factors, particularly marital status, age, and language, can influence prenatal care attendance. Further development of culturally sensitive, focused-based prenatal care and public health programs could positively affect healthcare delivery and maternal care outcomes. Identifying these factors provides a foundation for targeted interventions to address barriers and improve prenatal care access in rural communities like Huron. Further research is needed to explore additional determinants and create potential future interventional studies.