Maternal Health
Photo credit: Eric Johansen
Some rural Utahns travel more than an hour to access maternity care
Maternal health in Utah
This page provides information, news, and reports about the status of maternity care in the state of Utah.
Maternal Health in Utah: Risk Factors, Workforce Gaps, and Access to Care
Distance to maternity care in Utah
Women in rural Utah often have to travel an hour or more to access labor and delivery care, prenatal care, and other maternity services.
The amount of time and distance to travel to a care facility are significant and add to the risk of complications.
Distance is especially significant for low-income and rural Utah families, as this may require or consume scarce resources such as:
- money for gas
- time off work
- lost wages
- access to reliable vehicles
- child-care for other children.
In 5 Utah counties the average time to drive to the nearest birthing hospital is over an hour. In 3 counties it’s at least 30 minutes.
Maternal mental health in Utah
Mental health conditions and substance use disorders are the most common factors that contribute to maternal deaths in Utah.
Nearly half of women experience symptoms of depression or anxiety before, during, or after pregnancy. The state ranks 4th among states for postpartum depression symptoms and 6th highest for depression among women.
Experts identify several barriers to substance use disorder services, including:
- limited availability of maternal health-focused substance use treatment and detox facilities;
- limited health care provider training on maternal substance use disorders
- social stigma.
Utah has fewer mental health providers than the national average, with 365 providers per 100,000 people, while the national average is 378.
Preventive maternal care in Utah
Utah women ages 18 to 44 have one of the lowest rates in the nation of preventive medical visits for women of reproductive age (65.7% vs. 71.2% nationally).
Physical and mental health conditions, along with barriers to care, disproportionately affect rural women and women of color. Only 52% of Utah women had a regular health care checkup in the 12 months before pregnancy. Rates of pre-pregnancy risk factors like obesity, diabetes, and high blood pressure are higher in Utah’s rural counties. These are conditions that can complicate pregnancy.
Poverty is also a concern:
- About 1 in 3 women ages 18 to 44 had a household income under 200% of the federal poverty level ($32,150 for a family of four).
- This is more common for rural women and women of color.