Prenatal and infant health care in a medium-sized community.

Abstract

COMMUNITY household surveys of health behavior and attitudes are an essential instrument in public health research.1-3 Such surveys are less frequently undertaken than studies based upon the records or the clientele of health agencies, public health departments, and hospitals. The reasons are not hard to find: any study which casts a data-gathering net into the community must mobilize intensive research resources, and it must rely upon the cooperativeness of many respondents who have no strong personal interest in the investigation. Yet only by such investigation can basic facts concerning community health needs and behavior be established. The study presented here deals with maternal and child health. Community studies in this area have particular contemporary relevance. Recent decades have seen striking improvements in infant and maternal health at the survival level; the reduction of the morbidity and mortality associated with pregnancy and birth is well known. Currently, there is rising interest in the promotion of positive maternal and child health. Increasing attention is paid to topics such as preventive measures for infant health and development, the quality of motherinfant relationships, and school health programs. This study deals with selected aspects of health care along the time sequence of pregnancy, delivery, and infant care. We present findings about prenatal care and utilization of preventive health measures. Special attention is given to the social status of the infant's family, and to the relationship between social class and health care. Further, these topics are examined with regard to the community context of health institutions and resources.