Inadequate prenatal care utilization and associated factors in São Luís, Brazil

Table 1 Characteristics of prenatal care use based on the minimum calendar of the ministry of health

Variables	n	%
Received prenatal care
Yes	4,968	98.0
No	99	2.0
Number of visits
None	99	2.0
1 – 3	521	10.3
4 – 5	1,122	22.1
≥ 6	3,065	60.5
Missing	260	5.1
Starting trimester
No prenatal care	99	2.0
1st trimester	3,356	66.2
2nd trimester	1,395	27.5
3rd trimester	117	2.3
Missing	100	2.0
Site of prenatal care
No prenatal care	99	2.0
Public sector of SUS	4,052	80.0
Private	218	4.3
Insurance/Health plan	690	13.6
Missing	8	0.1
Classification of prenatal care
Adequate*	2,949	58.2
Inadequate	1,858	36.7
Missing	260	5.1
Total	5067	100

São Luís, Brazil, 2010.
*Prenatal care was considered to be adequate when started up to the fourth month of pregnancy and when it involved at least six visits for a term pregnancy or a smaller number of visits according to gestational age. The missing category corresponds to 260 cases without information about the number of visits and/or the trimester when prenatal care was started (source: ref. 10). SUS: Unified Health System in the Brazilian acronym.

ISSN: 1471-2393