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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

V. James Guillory, DO, MPH, FACPM, Division of Research and Department of Preventive Medicine, Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences, 1750 Independence Avenue, Kansas City, MO 64106, 816-283-2282, jguillory@kcumb.edu, Jinwen Cai, MD, MS, Office of Epidemiology, Kansas City Missouri Health Department, 2400 Troost, Suite 4000, Kansas City, MO 64108, Gerald Hoff, PhD, FACE, Division of Communicable Disease Control, Kansas City Missouri Health Department, 2400 Troost, Suite 2100, Kansas City, MO 64108, Paul Dew, MD, MPH, FACPM, Preventive Medicine, Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences, 1750 Independence Avenue, Kansas City, MO 64106, and Thomas Mathews, DO, FACOOG, FACO, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences, 1750 Independence Avenue, Kansas City, MO 64106.

Prenatal care is associated with improved birth outcomes, resulting in it becoming one of the most frequently utilized health services. Several organizations and HP 2010 have developed recommendations for the timing and frequency of prenatal care. ACOG recommends first trimester initiation of prenatal care and 13-14 prenatal visits for healthy women. This study was conducted to determine why healthy women obtain more than recommended prenatal care.

Birth certificate data were used to examine factors associated with 15+ prenatal visits for healthy, primaparous women, 20-35 years old, without medical conditions or unhealthy behaviors, and to determine if this care is associated with improved birth outcomes.

Healthy women (n=14,987) who had pregnancy complications were more likely to have additional prenatal visits (28% vs. 25%, p<0.001), and more obstetrical procedures (26.4% vs. 22.4%, p=0.006). The percentage of women with pregnancy complications who delivered a LBW infant did not differ (1.9% vs. 2.1%, p=0.397) from those without complications. Thus, it appears that the additional visits and procedures were associated with lower incidence of LBW. The adjusted odds for having 15 or more prenatal visits indicated that education (AOR 1.218, 95% CI 1.092-1.359) was a significant predictor of having more visits when adjusting for complications of labor and deliver (AOR 1.169, 95% CI 1.001-1.280). Maternal education remains a prominent factor in reducing the incidence of low birth weight when there are complications of labor. This suggests that increased education enhances patient compliance independently of other factors.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant (learner) in this session will be able to

• List factors associated with low birth weight (LBW).
• Relate the importance of prenatal care to having a healthy baby.
• Advocate for programs that enhance educational opportunities for women of childbearing age.

Keywords: Birth Outcomes, Prenatal Care

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Not Answered