| TOPIC AREA
Children and Family Health, Safety and Well-being INDICATOR: Percent
of births where the mother received
early prenatal care (first trimester) Why
is this indicator important in Baltimore City?
The
percent of births where the mother received early prenatal care is an indicator
of the likelihood for healthy pregnancies and healthy babies.
This is
a standard indicator used nationally to understand if mothers are able to get
the care they need.
This is the opposite of the "percent of births
where the mother received late or no prenatal care," which is generally the
standard indicator for measuring health of children.
What
has been happening in Baltimore City?
In 2003, the
percent of births where the mother received early prenatal care was 74.88 percent,
an increase of 3 percent from 72.12 percent in 2000.
Definition:
This indicator reflects the number of births where
the mother received prenatal care in the first trimester of pregnancy out of all
births that year in the area.
Early prenatal care is a preventive step
necessary to ensure that both mother and newborn child are healthy.
Calculation
considerations:
Data for this indicator come from
birth certificates at hospitals and reported to the Maryland Department of Health
and Mental Hygiene (DHMH) for distribution to the health departments of the 24
counties and Baltimore City.
Data source: Maryland
Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, provided by the Baltimore City Health
Department
Analysis: Edwin Quiambao,
Baltimore City Data Collaborative/Family League of Baltimore
Years
tracked: 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003
Geography:
Citywide, CSA, census tract
To access
the Indicator: Download Vital
Signs 3 Activate the interactive
mapping system Obtain the Vital Signs
by census tract Download Community
Statistical Area profiles
For more information about
the Alliance and the Vital Signs, go to the website www.bnia.org.
To find out about your neighborhood, go to the
Vital Signs section.
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