The Cost of Prenatal Care Attendance and Pregnancy Outcomes in Low-Income Working Women

Abstract

To examine personal costs (dollar costs and time spent) associated with prenatal care (PNC) attendance and outcomes (gestation length, PNC adequacy, and birth weight) for low-income, working women (N = 165). Prospective, descriptive study. Participants were recruited from a pre-natal clinic located at an inner city tertiary care center. A convenience sample of 165 low-income, working women. Personal costs were measured as dollar costs and time spent associated with PNC attendance. Perinatal outcomes were measured as gestation length, PNC adequacy, and birth weight. Per visit, the mean cost associated with PNC was 33.31 dollars (range 1-125.60 dollars, SD = 32.33 dollars) and the time needed to attend care was 228 min (20-720, SD = 205). Women delivered at 37.8 (18-42) weeks; 17.6% of the women received inadequate PNC, and 17.0% of the women delivered low-birth-weight newborns. The findings indicated that personal costs associated with PNC attendance were not associated with inadequate care attendance.