EARLY PRENATAL CARE

This indicator tracks the number and percent of infants born to women whose prenatal care began during the first trimester (the first three months) of pregnancy.

Getting early and regular prenatal care improves the chances of a healthy pregnancy, which is one of the best ways to promote a healthy birth. This care can begin even before pregnancy with a preconception care visit to a health care provider. Prenatal care provides screening and management of a woman’s risk factors and health conditions, as well as education and counseling on healthy behaviors during and after pregnancy.1 Mothers who receive no or late (defined as beginning in the third trimester of pregnancy) prenatal care are more likely to have babies with health problems, including infants with low birth weight.2 Achieving a healthy birth weight baby is also a preventive and cost-effective approach for reducing health care costs associated with providing neonatal intensive care services for low birth weight babies.3

• Overall, the percent of women receiving early prenatal care in Orange County decreased 5.8% in 10 years, dropping from 91.4% in 2005 to 86.1% in 2014. The decrease was reflected among all racial and ethnic groups.

• In Orange County, 91.6% of White women received early prenatal care in the first trimester followed by Hispanic (85.0%), Black (82.6%) and Asian (82.0%) women.

• The growth in disparity between race/ethnicity groups was most pronounced between White women and Asian women. In 2005, the difference was 0.8% (93.6% versus 94.4%) and by 2014, the difference increased to 9.6% (91.6% versus 82.0%).