Factors associated with utilization of physical therapy services during pregnancy and after childbirth

OBJECTIVE: To explore demographic and clinical factors associated with utilization of antepartum/postpartum physical therapy. METHODS: This is a secondary analysis of a cross-sectional survey of 298 women who were receiving or had received obstetric care at a medical center in southern Taiwan. Data were collected between May 2021 and May 2022 using an online questionnaire, which included demographic, medical, and obstetric details, the symptom severity questionnaires, management strategies, and experience and perception about physical therapy. Descriptive statistics, independent t-test, chi-square analysis and multivariate logistic regression model were used to analyze data. RESULTS: Among 298 respondents, 190 (63.8%) were pregnant and 108 (36.2%) were postpartum. Thirteen percent of pregnant participants and 27% of postpartum participants had received physical therapy during and/or after childbirth. Multivariate analyses showed that being postpartum, having an associate degree and below, and experiencing depressive symptoms were significantly associated with an increased utilization of physical therapy (postpartum: OR = 3.039, 95% CI = 1.530, 6.035; associate degree and below: OR = 2.521, 95% CI = 1.007, 6.316; depressive symptoms: OR = 3.606, 95% CI = 1.067, 12.185). The odds of utilizing physical therapy decreased with age (OR = 0.935, 95% CI = 0.874, 1.000). CONCLUSIONS: Individual factors, such as age, education level, pregnancy status, and experience of depressive symptoms, have a significant association with utilization of antepartum/postpartum physical therapy and should be considered when developing obstetric care pathways to optimize clinical and healthcare utilization outcomes.