The pattern of women's attendance at antenatal classes: Is this good enough?

Abstract

OVER a three-month period, 687 new mothers from one Health District were asked whether they were offered antenatal classes, whether they attended, and if not, the reasons why they did not at tend. Information was also collected for each woman on her obstetric history, age, marital status, home town and husband's occupation. Seventy-two per cent said that they were offered classes in this pregnancy, and 40 per cent of the sample said that they had attended. Statistical analysis showed that receiv ing an offer of classes was strongly related to previous obstetric history; there were, however, deviant groups in respect of age and marital status to whom midwives were less likely to offer classes. Social class was much less important than obstetric his tory and the age of previous children in determining whether a woman would attend classes if offered them. These results are con sidered in relation to current assumptions about antenatal class attendance, and theor ies on the take-up of welfare benefits.