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Group prenatal care reduced risk for premature birth, low birth weight

Young pregnant women who attended group prenatal care were less likely to deliver infants small for gestational age or of low birth weight and were less likely to become pregnant quickly after birth, compared with women who received individual care.

“Few clinical interventions have had an impact on birth outcomes. Group prenatal care is related to improved health outcomes for mothers and babies, without adding risk. If scaled nationally, group prenatal care could lead to significant improvements in birth outcomes, health disparities and health care costs,” Jeannette R, Ickovics, PhD, professor, The Yale School of Public Health, said in a press release.  

Ickovics and colleagues randomly assigned 1,148 pregnant women aged 14 to 21 years to either group care or individual care at one of 14 health centers in New York City to compare outcomes between women attending group prenatal care and women receiving individual care.

Women assigned to group care met with eight to 12 other women at the same gestational point, and received the same care as those in individual care, but also had additional time for education, skill building and discussions with caregivers and peers, according to a press release. 

Results demonstrated that women in group care were 33% less likely to have an infant small for gestational age, compared with women receiving individual care.

In an intention-to-treat analysis, Ickovics and colleagues found that compared with women receiving individual care, women in group care had better outcomes, including small for gestation age, gestational age, birth weight, days in neonatal ICU, rapid repeat pregnancy, condom use and unprotected sex. Additionally, there was an association between group visits attended and birth outcomes, with lower risk of adverse birth outcomes among women who attended more group sessions.

“The successful translation of clinical innovations requires strategies that facilitate practice improvements and organizational change. It requires a commitment to implementation research and a willingness to change clinical practices to improve patient and population health. This may be no more important than during prenatal care, when interventions may lead to improved health trajectories across the lifespan for mothers and their children,” Ickovics and colleagues concluded. – by Casey Hower

Disclosures: Healio.com/Family Medicine was unable to confirm relevant financial disclosures at the time of publication.