How far is the clinic? Urbanicity and sociodemographic variation in the distance to assisted reproductive technology clinics in the USA
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View abstract on PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.Geographic barriers to assisted reproductive technology (ART) care affect many US women, particularly in rural areas. Access varies by urbanicity and sociodemographic factors, highlighting disparities in ART services.
Area Of Science
- Reproductive Health
- Health Services Research
- Geographic Access to Care
Background
- Geographic access to assisted reproductive technology (ART) services is crucial for equitable healthcare.
- Understanding disparities in ART access is essential for addressing underutilization in certain populations.
Purpose Of The Study
- To quantify drive time distances to ART clinics for US women aged 15-50.
- To analyze these distances by sociodemographic groups and urbanicity.
Main Methods
- Retrospective, cross-sectional, population-based study using ART clinic locations (2021).
- Incorporated sociodemographic data (American Community Survey, 2020) and US Census boundaries (2020).
- Employed descriptive analyses and urbanicity-stratified multilevel multivariable logistic regression.
Main Results
- 41.9% of US women (15-50) were over 30 minutes from an ART clinic.
- Access varied significantly by urbanicity: 33.9% (metropolitan), 98.7% (micropolitan), and 98.9% (rural) faced >30 min travel.
- Proximity correlated with race, ethnicity, and education in metropolitan areas, but less so in rural/micropolitan areas.
Conclusions
- Widespread geographic barriers to ART care exist but don't fully explain utilization disparities.
- Urbanicity is a critical, understudied factor influencing geographic access to ART.
- ART access barriers may not be the primary issue for all underserved groups.
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