TOPLINE:

Group prenatal care and Individual prenatal care resulted in favorable prenatal and intrapartum care experiences among predominantly Latine participants with low incomes.

METHODOLOGY:

• Researchers conducted a randomized controlled trial to compare the effectiveness of two prenatal care programs: individual and group care.
• They included 674 pregnant patients (72.0% identified as Latine) at less than 25 weeks of gestation with low incomes who were recruited from 10 clinics and practices in California.
• Participants were randomly assigned to receive either enhanced group prenatal care (n = 294; mean age, 26.5 years) or enhanced individual prenatal care (n = 380; mean age, 27.4 years)
  • In the group prenatal program, clinicians provide 7-10 sessions, with services including childcare, mental health support, transportation subsidies, and food assistance.
  • The enhanced individual program consisted of comprehensive perinatal services orientation and up to three, 45-minute assessments addressing psychosocial or social needs.
• Outcome measures included various scales.

TAKEAWAY:

• No significant differences were observed between the two groups on a scale measuring care that focused on patient values, dignity, and active involvement in decisions.
• No significant differences were noted between groups on a scale that measured respectful maternity care focused on patient-provider interactions, comfort, and safety.
• Among participants who attended at least one prenatal care session after randomization, scores for feeling dignity and respect were slightly higher for those that received individual care than those in the group intervention.

IN PRACTICE:

"Our findings do not support our hypothesis that enhanced group prenatal care results in better prenatal care experiences than individual prenatal care," the authors wrote.

SOURCE:

The study was led by Patience A. Afulani, MBChB, PhD, of the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences at the University of California, San Francisco. It was published online on March 12, 2026 in Obstetrics & Gynecology.

LIMITATIONS: 

Generalizability may be limited by a predominantly Latine participants with low-income and small numbers identifying as Black or Indigenous. Outcomes were self-reported and may be prone to social desirability bias.

DISCLOSURES:

The research was supported by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute Award. No relevant conflicts of interest were disclosed by the authors.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.