Why is this important? Prenatal care ensures better pregnancy outcomes because it allows health and other problems to be discovered and treated early in a pregnancy. Prenatal care visits also provide caregivers with the opportunity to educate mothers about lifestyle choices that could affect the health of a developing baby.How are we doing?
In 2005, the last year for which data are available, 84% of Boston’s mothers received adequate prenatal care (rated either “Basic” or “Intensive” according to the Kotelchuck Index), a 16% increase since 1991. About 90% of white mothers received adequate prenatal care. Asian and Latino mothers were close behind, with about 84% of Asians and almost 82% of Latino mothers receiving such care, both rates down slightly from 2004. However, only 78% or fewer of black and other-ethnicity mothers received adequate prenatal care. According to 2004 data—the last year for which neighborhood data are available—the proportion of mothers receiving adequate prenatal care also varied across Boston neighborhoods, from a high of 93% in Jamaica Plain to a low of 65% in East Boston. |  | |
"Adequacy of Prenatal Care, Boston & Massachusetts, 1991 to 2005"
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"Adequate Prenatal Care by Race/Ethnicity, Boston 1998 to 2005"
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"Adequate Prenatal Care by Boston Neighborhood, 2000 & 2004"
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"New Prenatal Care data released in 2008"
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