Reproductive Autonomy and Acculturation Among Latinas: Preliminary results
Presenter Biography
Sara Diaz-Anaya is a 4th year student pursuing a major in Public Health Studies: Community Health Promotion and a certificate in Latin American Studies. Currently, Sara is a research assistant for Dr. Blair Darney at OHSU from the Department of OB/GYN, Family Planning Section. With the support and collaboration from colleagues, she is in the participant recruitment stage of her study that aims to determine if and how acculturation affects the reproductive autonomy of Latinas. In the future, Sara hopes to gain field experience by working as a family advocate, then pursuing a Master of Public Health Promotion or a MAS in Transborder Studies. Her main goal is to work towards reducing health disparities and finding solutions to public health challenges, with a focus on the Latinx population.
Institution
PSU
Program/Major
Public Health: Community Health Promotion
Degree
BS
Presentation Type
Presentation
Start Date
4-6-2022 12:51 PM
End Date
4-6-2022 1:02 PM
Persistent Identifier
https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/40197
Keywords
1. Acculturation 2. Reproductive Autonomy 3. Contraception 4. Unintended Pregnancy 5. Latina Health 6. Immigration 7. Mexican American 8. SASH (Short Acculturation Scale for Hispanics) 9. Reproductive Autonomy Scale
Abstract
Title
Reproductive Autonomy and Acculturation Among Latinas: Preliminary results
Background
Reproductive autonomy is decision-making power over pregnancy, childbearing, and contraceptive use. Acculturation, or how much of the values, practices, and norms of a host culture an immigrant has adopted, may influence reproductive autonomy. The purpose of this study is to describe reproductive autonomy in Oregon Latinas and test whether acculturation is associated with reproductive autonomy.
Methods
This is a cross-sectional study. We developed a 26-item survey that includes a validated language-based acculturation scale, a reproductive autonomy (range 1-4) scale, and sociodemographic information. We recruited Latinas ages 15-49 at the Mexican Consulate. We classified respondents as high, bicultural, or low acculturation according to published scoring. We used descriptive and bivariate statistics to test the association between acculturation and reproductive autonomy.
Results
To date we have recruited 96 (out of 500) participants; data collection was impacted by the pandemic and is ongoing. Overall, 52% of respondents fall into the low, 39% bicultural, and 8% high acculturation groups. Reproductive autonomy overall was 3.3 (out of 4); subdomain scored varied (decision-making 2.6; lack of coercion 3.7; communication 3.5). Women with low acculturation had overall lower and marginally significant acculturation scores (p=0.055); the difference seems to be driven by the lack of coercion subscale (3.6 vs 3.9 bicultural and 3.5 high; p=0.014).
Public Health Significance
Low language-based acculturation may be negatively associated with reproductive autonomy. A larger sample will help us understand these relationships more thoroughly. Our results can be used to target education and services and support Latinas to achieve their reproductive goals.
Reproductive Autonomy and Acculturation Among Latinas: Preliminary results
Title
Reproductive Autonomy and Acculturation Among Latinas: Preliminary results
Background
Reproductive autonomy is decision-making power over pregnancy, childbearing, and contraceptive use. Acculturation, or how much of the values, practices, and norms of a host culture an immigrant has adopted, may influence reproductive autonomy. The purpose of this study is to describe reproductive autonomy in Oregon Latinas and test whether acculturation is associated with reproductive autonomy.
Methods
This is a cross-sectional study. We developed a 26-item survey that includes a validated language-based acculturation scale, a reproductive autonomy (range 1-4) scale, and sociodemographic information. We recruited Latinas ages 15-49 at the Mexican Consulate. We classified respondents as high, bicultural, or low acculturation according to published scoring. We used descriptive and bivariate statistics to test the association between acculturation and reproductive autonomy.
Results
To date we have recruited 96 (out of 500) participants; data collection was impacted by the pandemic and is ongoing. Overall, 52% of respondents fall into the low, 39% bicultural, and 8% high acculturation groups. Reproductive autonomy overall was 3.3 (out of 4); subdomain scored varied (decision-making 2.6; lack of coercion 3.7; communication 3.5). Women with low acculturation had overall lower and marginally significant acculturation scores (p=0.055); the difference seems to be driven by the lack of coercion subscale (3.6 vs 3.9 bicultural and 3.5 high; p=0.014).
Public Health Significance
Low language-based acculturation may be negatively associated with reproductive autonomy. A larger sample will help us understand these relationships more thoroughly. Our results can be used to target education and services and support Latinas to achieve their reproductive goals.