OBJECTIVES: to identify factors associated with the inadequacy of prenatal care in the municipalities of Caracol and Anísio de Abreu, in the semi-arid region of the State of Piauí, in the Northeast of Brazil. METHODS: a population-based cross-sectional study was carried out using home visits to all the mothers of children aged less than five years resident in these localities between July and September 2008. The adequacy of prenatal care was classified from the first consultation up to the120th day of gestation with a total of, at least, six sessions. The chi-squared test was used to compare proportions and, for multiple analysis, Poisson regression with a robust adjustment for variance. RESULTS: of the 1580 mothers interviewed, the prevalence of inadequate prenatal care fwas 19.2%, with 20.3% in the municipality of Caracol and 17.9% in Anísio de Abreu. In Caracol, the factors that remained associated with the outcome after adjustment for the age of the mother (30 years or more) and not having running water at home or on one’s land, while in Anísio de Abreu only schooling was associated. CONCLUSIONS: the results presented here show that, even among the poorest, there was inadequate prenatal care during gestation and delivery and the greater likelihood of inadequate prenatal care was among older women with lower levels of schooling.
Prenatal care; Quality of health care; Maternal and child health
