City Data

Prenatal Care

Early Prenatal Care. Women living in U.S. cities with a population of over 100,000 are less likely to begin prenatal care in the first 3 months of pregnancy than women Nationwide. The gap in early entry into prenatal care between urban women and the Nation as a whole has narrowed since 1991. In 2003, 81.7 percent of pregnant women living in U.S. cities began prenatal care in the first trimester of pregnancy, compared to 84.1 percent Nationwide. The percentage of women receiving prenatal care has increased steadily in the past decade at both the city and Nationwide levels. The Healthy People 2010 objective is for 90 percent of pregnant women to begin prenatal care in the first trimester.

Late or No Prenatal Care. In 2003, 4.4 percent of pregnant women living in U.S. cities with a population over 100,000 either began prenatal care in the third trimester or received no prenatal care. The percentage of women receiving late or no prenatal care is 26 percent higher among women living in cities than among the overall population of the United States.

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Child Health USA 2005 is not copyrighted. Readers are free to duplicate and use all or part of the information contained on this page. Suggested Citation: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration, Maternal and Child Health Bureau. Child Health USA 2005. Rockville, Maryland: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2005.