Date of Conferral

2023

Degree

Doctor of Public Health (DrPH)

School

Public Health

Advisor

Stacy-ann Christian

Abstract

Reducing preterm births is a local, national, and global public health priority. Preterm birth rates continue to rise with evident racial and ethnic differences. The purpose of the quantitative study was to analyze the Mississippi Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) Phase 8 data to investigate the association between preterm births, timing of prenatal care, insurance types, and marital status among 5,666 women who gave birth in Mississippi between 2016 - 2020 using logistic regression. The social-ecological model was used to explain the impact of preterm births at the individual, interpersonal, and policy levels. Marital status was shown to be statistically significant among preterm birth rates (OR – 1.528, p < .001) indicating unmarried women were more likely to have a preterm birth. Medicaid was also statistically significant (OR = 1.417, p < .001) indicating that for a Medicaid patient, the odds of a preterm birth increased by almost 1.5 times. Additionally, timing of prenatal care was not statistically significant in the study (OR = .998, p = .979). A potential public health practice implication could focus on at risk women with Medicaid. Group therapy, behavioral modification, and nutritional components may lead to improved health outcomes supporting incremental reductions in preterm births associated with Medicaid recipients. Positive social change may be accomplished through the emphasis on the impact of a healthy support system. Resources, both financially and holistically, can help lead in the reduction of the significant impacts preterm births have on communities and can serve as a vessel for other targeted approaches.

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