Mexican pregnant women's environment, knowledge and attitudes on prenatal care

Abstract

To explore the barriers and facilitators to prenatal care, as well as the knowledge about healthy pregnancy and the attitude towards pregnancy. Mixed-methods study in pregnant women with social and economic vulnerability. Barriers and facilitators for prenatal care were examined using ethnographic methods, while structured and semi-structured interviews were used to assess knowledge and attitudes. Data were categorized during the qualitative analysis, and frequencies, ratios, average and standard deviation were calculated in the quantitative analysis. Ten women aged between 18 and 33 years were interviewed; 50% sought prenatal care during their first trimester. Facilitators included partner role and family support, and barriers were unsafe neighborhood and home, and lack of funds to cover transportation to the clinic. Most women did not receive information related to weight gain. Almost none knew about depression or abuse. Half of them did not know about risks of addictive substances, nor did they know about prevention of infectious diseases. Finally, attitudes towards pregnancy were: environmental stressors; chaotic homes; fears about pregnancy; and interest in knowing more about pregnancy. The interviewed women were open to learn about their pregnancy and they have family and spouse support. Prenatal care should be strengthened with topics related to mental health, domestic abuse, healthy weight gain, risk of addictive substances, and prevention of infectious diseases. They can be enhanced by including safety in unsafe areas, as well as techniques for better time and family economy management.