Study Examines Black Women’s Perceptions of Prenatal Care

"Determinants of Inadequate Prenatal Care Utilization by African-American Women," Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved: The study examines the perceptions of black women's use of prenatal care services. Researchers interviewed 246 black women in Washington, D.C., during their postpartum hospitalizations at one of five area hospitals. Using the Kotelchuck Adequacy of Prenatal Care Utilization Index, researchers determined that 40% of the participants had received adequate prenatal care. Among women who received inadequate care, 8.8% reported psychosocial problems as barriers to care and did not participate in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children. Nearly 14% of women who reported psychosocial problems as barriers were WIC program beneficiaries and substance users, and 20% who reported psychosocial problems as barriers to care cited childcare problems as a reason for not receiving prenatal care, according to the study (Johnson et al, JHCPU, August 2007).