Priorities for maternal and child health services: the consumer's perspective.

A convenience sample of 206 inner city department of public health patients were asked to rank the importance of health care services relative to other problems they face. Respondents spontaneously ranked money, unemployment, and housing as their most pressing concerns. When presented with a list of potential problems, housing, crime, and rent were most frequently cited. Health of children and own health were priorities for 15 and 21 respondents respectively. Pregnancy prevention and having a good pregnancy were important for seven individuals. The priorities attached by these medically and socially high risk people for maternal and child health services are placed in the context of published data on expert opinion on need for maternal and child health services and the availability of these services. The results of this survey suggest that public health administrators define realistic, specific goals for preventive maternal and child health services. Aggressive consumer education programs aimed at providing information on the importance of these services to maintaining well-being are also in order.