Research Alert: Rural/Urban Differences in Health, Health Care Use, and Barriers to Care for Postpartum and Parenting Women, 2006-2018

September 4, 2025

Research Alert: Rural/Urban Differences in Health, Health Care Use, and Barriers to Care for Postpartum and Parenting Women, 2006-2018

Access to maternity care has been declining in rural communities, and rural residents face elevated risks of maternal morbidity and mortality. More than half of maternal deaths in the United States occur in the postpartum year.

The goal of this analysis from the University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center was to describe rural/urban differences in health, health care utilization, and barriers to care for reproductive-age females, with specific focus on those who are parents of young children (ages 1-4) and those who are postpartum (gave birth last year).

Click Here to Read Research Alert