Adaptation of prenatal care offered to indigenous women: maternal characteristics and health services

Abstract

This study aimed to analyze the adaptation of prenatal care offered to Indigenous women and its association with maternal characteristics and health services. This is a cross-sectional study, conducted with 461 Indigenous women who gave birth and/or received immediate postpartum care in the municipalities of Mato Grosso do Sul, between 2021 and 2022. An indicator of minimum prenatal adequacy was developed, which was classified as adequate when the woman started prenatal care in the 1st trimester of pregnancy, had ≥7 consultations, and had routine exams recorded. Logistic regression models were used to estimate the adjusted odds ratios and factors associated with prenatal adequacy. It was found that 67.2% began prenatal care in the 1st trimester, 51.8% had ≥7 consultations, and 40.6% had exam results recorded. About 1 in 4 Indigenous women achieved the proposed adequacy; the associated maternal characteristics were ethnicity, region of residence, and place of residence. Prenatal care revealed health inequities, with low adequacy rates in prenatal care and worse rates among women living in villages and settlements in the southern region of the state.