Factors associated with prenatal care and seeking assistance in public hospitals in Vitória, Espírito Santo, Brazil.

Adequate prenatal care provides an opportunity for counseling and reducing the complications associated with pregnancy and delivery. Our objective was to describe the demographic, behavioral, and clinical profile of the pregnant women hospitalized at public maternity hospitals and to identify factors associated with six or more prenatal consultations in Vitória, Brazil. A cross-sectional study of 1,380 women was conducted in public maternity hospitals in Vitória, Brazil. Sixty-seven percent of participants had >or=6 prenatal consultations. Reasons for hospitalization were vaginal delivery (55.7%), cesarean section (32.9%), clinical treatment (7.7%), and abortion/miscarriage (3.7%). Having >or=9 years of schooling (odds ratio, OR = 1.8; 95% confidence interval, CI: 1.1-3.1), being married (OR = 1.9; 95% CI: 1.2-2.9) and delivering at term (OR = 3.6; 95% CI: 1.6-8.2) were significantly independently associated with having >or=6 prenatal consultations. Although higher education, being married, and delivering at term were associated with >or=6 prenatal consultations in this population, the high rate of Cesarean sections demonstrates the need for ongoing educative strategies among health professionals.