Barriers and facilitators to, and knowledge of, cord blood banking among pregnant Hispanic women at a university obstetric clinic.

BACKGROUND

Genetic diversity in cord blood (CB) banks is essential for minorities to find a matching graft, yet Hispanics, the largest growing United States (U.S.) minority, remain underrepresented in registries. This study aimed to describe knowledge and awareness of CB banking among Spanish-only speaking women in their third trimester, to identify barriers and facilitators, and to compare these findings to a similar study of English-speaking women at the same university obstetric clinic.

STUDY DESIGN AND

METHODS

We recruited women between August 2023 and April 2024 from the Obstetrics clinic. Participants completed a 29-item Spanish-language survey assessing demographics, cord blood knowledge, awareness, and perceived barriers/facilitators identical to that used in our study of English-speaking women. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze responses using SAS software.

RESULTS

Only 31.4% had heard of CB banking, and 70% did not understand the purpose. Reported barriers included lack of knowledge (91.3%), distrust of the process (63%), and fear about donating (20%). Participants wanted information on CB collection during prenatal classes such as the types of banking, accessible website resources, and family or friend support as facilitators. Awareness was higher among those with greater education, income, or a family history of cancer (p < .05).

DISCUSSION: Spanish-only speaking women had less knowledge than the English-speaking women at the same clinic (92% vs. 66%). They differed in preferred information sources, favoring written or online materials while English-speaking women preferred discussions with a trusted MD or RN, reflecting communication barriers since most clinic staff did not speak Spanish.