"I Feel Like a Lot of Black Women Don't Seek Preconception Health." Qualitative Findings of Preconception Health among Young Black Women in the United States.

objectivesThis study aims to explore young Black female university students' knowledge and utilization of preconception health (PH) while identifying the barriers associated with PH use

designThis study employed a phenomenological qualitative exploratory approach and the Black feminist theory to understanding the phenomenon under investigation. Participants were recruited using convenience and snowball sampling between June and September 2023. Data was generated through a semi-structured interview, which was analyzed inductively using thematic analysis.

resultsTen Black students ranging from 19 to 22 years old participated in this study. The students were enrolled in a four-year college at the time of this study. Based on the analysis, three broad themes emerged. The first theme, knowledge construction of preconception health, from which two sub-themes were derived, encompasses how participants describe their knowledge of PH. The second theme, utilization of preconception health services, focuses on participants' use or lack thereof of PH services, from which three sub-themes were generated. The third theme, barriers to PH, discussed the multifaceted barriers participants encounter when seeking care or the barriers to gaining knowledge about PH.

conclusionThe narrative demonstrates that knowledge of PH among some young Black women is low due to a plethora of issues transcending beyond their immediate locus of control into system and structural-level problems that are unique to Black women. This study has direct public health implications for Black maternal health, higher institutions, sociocultural norms, and broad health policy.