Comparing Website Identification for Crisis Pregnancy Centers and Abortion Clinics

Area of Science:

• Reproductive Health
• Digital Health Literacy
• Patient Navigation

Background:

• Crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs) often appear in online searches for abortion services.
• CPCs aim to dissuade individuals from seeking abortions.
• Distinguishing CPCs from legitimate abortion providers online is a significant challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess women's ability to differentiate between CPC and abortion clinic websites using screenshots.
• To identify factors associated with misidentification of CPC websites.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional, nationally representative online study surveyed 1,044 women aged 18-49 in the US.
• Participants viewed screenshots from CPC and abortion clinic websites and identified services offered.
• The study assessed knowledge of abortion myths and health literacy.

Main Results:

• Women correctly identified abortion clinic websites more often than CPC websites (median scores of 5/5 vs. 2/5).
• Lower likelihood of endorsing abortion myths was associated with better CPC identification (aOR 2.43).
• Low health literacy significantly decreased the odds of correctly identifying CPCs (aOR 0.39).

Conclusions:

• CPC websites are more challenging for women to identify accurately compared to abortion clinic websites.
• Women with limited abortion knowledge and low health literacy are more vulnerable to misidentifying CPCs.
• Misidentification can impede access to comprehensive reproductive healthcare services.