Prenatal care and pregnancy outcomes: A cross‐sectional study in Luanda, Angola

OBJECTIVE: To describe prenatal care in Angolan women delivered at a large tertiary care unit, and to explore the association between prenatal care and selected perinatal outcomes. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study between December 2012 and February 2013, involving 995 women aged 13-46years, delivered at Lucrécia Paím Maternity, Luanda. Trained interviewers collected information on timing, frequency, place, and satisfaction with prenatal care; sociodemographic and clinical characteristics; birth weight; and gestational age. Logistic regression models were fitted, and odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals (OR, 95%CI) estimated. RESULTS: Quantitatively inadequate prenatal care (<4 visits) was more common in younger, less educated, poorer women, followed in public institutions, and those who felt more dissatisfied with care. More visits, both in primiparas and multiparas, were independently associated with more cesarean deliveries. After adjustment, having fewer than four visits was significantly associated with low birth weight (OR 2.00; 95% CI, 1.15-3.50) and preterm delivery (OR 2.74; 95% CI, 1.69-4.44 for 2-4 visits); similar associations were found regarding late entrance into care. CONCLUSION: Early entrance into prenatal care and the recommended number of visits are major determinants of mode of delivery and pregnancy outcomes, constituting targets to improve perinatal health.