PROJECT NARRATIVE Advancements in prenatal genetic screening have significantly improved the identification of chromosomal abnormalities and heritable conditions during pregnancy, yet current standards for patient education in this domain are largely ineffective. The most effective approach to education about prenatal screening, is one-on- one genetic counseling, but due to the limited number of counselors this is not feasible, especially in rural and frontier areas.

Prenatal screening and testing technologies using genetic methods are rapidly expanding, offering increasing amounts of genetic information about the fetus. However, research shows that women from underserved populations are less likely to receive or accept prenatal genetic services, leading to discordant birth outcomes. We propose to explore the barriers to access and acceptance of prenatal genetic care among women from underserved populations.