Fertility knowledge is lower among women from socioculturally diverse, lower-income communities in the united states

ObjectiveTo compare differences and predictors of fertility-related reproductive knowledge among infertile women across different socioeconomic strata in three urban cities in the United States.DesignCross-sectional study.Materials and MethodsInstitutional review board was obtained. Women presenting for initial infertility care were recruited at both fee-for-service fertility centers and county hospitals serving low-resource, largely immigrant communities in San Francisco, Houston, and New York City. Sociocultural demographics were surveyed including English fluency, educational level, and annual household income. Subjects completed an 11-question survey to assess basic reproductive health comprehension. The internationally validated Fertility Quality of Life (FertiQoL) tool was also administered to score impact of infertility on quality of life. Descriptive statistics and multivariable linear regression analyses were utilized.ResultsMean age of women in the cohort (n=94) was 33 years old (21-50). Nearly 50% of participants earned < $25,000 year; 63% were from low-resource clinics in county hospitals. Fertility knowledge scores were associated with socioeconomic status and resource use in bivariable analyses; after multivariable adjustment, educational level remained independently associated with fertility knowledge (p <0.01). Across four domains of FertiQoL, no clear relationship was seen between quality of life scores and knowledge, income, or resource setting.ConclusionWomen from less-educated, largely immigrant urban communities in the United States have less knowledge of basic reproductive health but experience comparable quality of life impairment as measured by the FertiQoL instrument. Further research is needed to better delineate the unique experience and psychosocial impact of involuntary childlessness among women from these underserved and vulnerable populations. ObjectiveTo compare differences and predictors of fertility-related reproductive knowledge among infertile women across different socioeconomic strata in three urban cities in the United States. To compare differences and predictors of fertility-related reproductive knowledge among infertile women across different socioeconomic strata in three urban cities in the United States. DesignCross-sectional study. Cross-sectional study. Materials and MethodsInstitutional review board was obtained. Women presenting for initial infertility care were recruited at both fee-for-service fertility centers and county hospitals serving low-resource, largely immigrant communities in San Francisco, Houston, and New York City. Sociocultural demographics were surveyed including English fluency, educational level, and annual household income. Subjects completed an 11-question survey to assess basic reproductive health comprehension. The internationally validated Fertility Quality of Life (FertiQoL) tool was also administered to score impact of infertility on quality of life. Descriptive statistics and multivariable linear regression analyses were utilized. Institutional review board was obtained. Women presenting for initial infertility care were recruited at both fee-for-service fertility centers and county hospitals serving low-resource, largely immigrant communities in San Francisco, Houston, and New York City. Sociocultural demographics were surveyed including English fluency, educational level, and annual household income. Subjects completed an 11-question survey to assess basic reproductive health comprehension. The internationally validated Fertility Quality of Life (FertiQoL) tool was also administered to score impact of infertility on quality of life. Descriptive statistics and multivariable linear regression analyses were utilized. ResultsMean age of women in the cohort (n=94) was 33 years old (21-50). Nearly 50% of participants earned < $25,000 year; 63% were from low-resource clinics in county hospitals. Fertility knowledge scores were associated with socioeconomic status and resource use in bivariable analyses; after multivariable adjustment, educational level remained independently associated with fertility knowledge (p <0.01). Across four domains of FertiQoL, no clear relationship was seen between quality of life scores and knowledge, income, or resource setting. Mean age of women in the cohort (n=94) was 33 years old (21-50). Nearly 50% of participants earned < $25,000 year; 63% were from low-resource clinics in county hospitals. Fertility knowledge scores were associated with socioeconomic status and resource use in bivariable analyses; after multivariable adjustment, educational level remained independently associated with fertility knowledge (p <0.01). Across four domains of FertiQoL, no clear relationship was seen between quality of life scores and knowledge, income, or resource setting. ConclusionWomen from less-educated, largely immigrant urban communities in the United States have less knowledge of basic reproductive health but experience comparable quality of life impairment as measured by the FertiQoL instrument. Further research is needed to better delineate the unique experience and psychosocial impact of involuntary childlessness among women from these underserved and vulnerable populations. Women from less-educated, largely immigrant urban communities in the United States have less knowledge of basic reproductive health but experience comparable quality of life impairment as measured by the FertiQoL instrument. Further research is needed to better delineate the unique experience and psychosocial impact of involuntary childlessness among women from these underserved and vulnerable populations.