Compiled by Karen Zinner, MPH
Table of Contents
Background
Women who receive early and consistent prenatal care (PNC) enhance their likelihood of giving birth to a healthy child. Health care providers recommend that women begin prenatal care in the first trimester of their pregnancy. Healthy People 2010 Objective 16.6a: Prenatal care beginning in first trimester U.S. Target for 2010: 90% Utah Target for 2010: 90%
Risk Factors
Pregnant teens 15-19 years of age have a number of risk factors including:
- low level of education
- race other than White
- Hispanic ethnicity
- being unmarried
- lower socio-economic status
- lack of health insurance
- smoking or drinking prior to pregnancy
- unintended pregnancy
Women who recognize their pregnancy later than nine weeks of gestation are less likely to get early prenatal care. Lack of health insurance affects both the timing and frequency of prenatal care visits, resulting in poor pregnancy outcomes such as premature birth, low birth weight, and complicated delivery. Availability of family planning services is another system factor that reduces the risk of unintended pregnancy. If a pregnancy is planned, a woman is more likely to seek early and adequate prenatal care.
Utah data vs. U.S. How are we doing
The Utah rate had been consistent for the last few years and in 2005 the rate increased slightly. The Utah rate in 2005 (78.8%) was below that of the nation (83.9%).
Services/Hotlines
The Utah Department of Health Baby Your Baby Program sponsors a statewide media campaign and provides information and referral services to pregnant women in Utah. The Baby Your Baby toll-free hotline can be reached by dialing 1-800-826-9662. The hotline is open weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Its operators can provide information, referrals, assistance in finding financial aid and access to community health care services. A pregnancy risk line is available to pregnant women. The Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) collects and analyzes data to identify characteristics of Utah women and their utilization of prenatal care.
Prenatal Care Retrieved on 1/18/07 from Utah Department of Health, Center for Health Data, Indicator-Based Information System for Public Health website: http://ibis.health.utah.gov/
