Indicator: 56 - Prenatal Care

Why This Is Important

Early prenatal care allows women and their health care providers to identify and, when possible, treat or correct health problems and health-compromising behaviors that can be particularly damaging during the initial stages of development. Increasing the percentage of women that receive prenatal care can improve birth outcomes and lower health care costs by reducing the likelihood of complications during pregnancy and childbirth.

Where We Stand

In 1990, 84.2% of women in Maine received prenatal care in their first trimester of pregnancy. For 2001, this indicator was at 88.2%, somewhat better than the national percentage. The national and Maine percentage receiving such care was largely unchanged from 1995 to 2001.

Data Sources and Context

The Maine data source for this indicator through 1998 is the Office of Data, Research and Vital Statistics, Bureau of Health, Maine Department of Human Services; the data is available online at http://www.state.me.us/dhs/bohodr/datapage.htm.  National statistics and data for Maine since 1998 come from the final births data reports put out annually by the National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (online at http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/pubs/pubd/nvs r/nvsr.htm).