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Health Indicator Report of First Trimester Prenatal Care

Women who receive early and consistent prenatal care (PNC) increase their likelihood of giving birth to a healthy child. Health care providers recommend that women begin prenatal care in the first trimester of their pregnancy.
The sharp decline beginning in 2015 is due to a corresponding increase in records with unknown onset of prenatal care due to the way in which data are collected in the new VIP birth registration system.

Notes

Beginning in 2014, the calculation of onset of prenatal care (PNC) requires several pieces of information from the birth record. If any of those is missing or invalid, PNC onset cannot be calculated.   This is Healthy New Jersey 2020 (HNJ2020) Objective MCH-3. Data for White, Black, and Asian do not include Hispanics. Hispanic ethnicity includes persons of any race. New York City did not report race and ethnicity for births to New Jersey residents that occurred in NYC prior to 2010. Therefore, data by race/ethnicity for 1990-2009 is not directly comparable to data for 2010 and later.

Data Source

Birth Certificate Database, Office of Vital Statistics and Registry, New Jersey Department of Health

Definition

Number of live births to pregnant women who received prenatal care in the first trimester as a percentage of the total number of live births.

Numerator

Number of live births to pregnant women who received prenatal care in the first trimester

Denominator

Number of live births

Healthy People Objective: Prenatal care beginning in first trimester

U.S. Target: 77.9 percent
State Target: 75.7 percent

Other Objectives

'''Revised Healthy New Jersey 2020 Objective MCH-3''': Increase the proportion of pregnant women who receive prenatal care beginning in first trimester to 75.7% for the total population, 83.5% among Whites, 61.5% among Blacks, 68.3% among Hispanics, and 82.4% among Asians. (Based on data calculated from three birth certificate items.) '''Original Healthy New Jersey 2020 Objective MCH-3''': Increase the proportion of pregnant women who receive prenatal care beginning in first trimester to 79.4% for the total population, 90.7% among Whites, 67.4% among Blacks, 72.1% among Hispanics, and 90.8% among Asians. (Based on data derived from a single birth certificate item.)

How Are We Doing?

The percentage of mothers receiving first trimester prenatal care (PNC) had been about 75% for over a decade before increasing slightly between 2007 and 2014 to 79%. A change in data collection methods in 2014-2015 resulted in a sharp decline such that the rate now stands back at 75%. The Healthy New Jersey 2020 target was not met. There is a significant difference in onset of PNC by race/ethnicity with more than 80% of White and Asian mothers receiving early PNC compared to 66% of Hispanic and 63% of Black mothers. However, in recent years the rates among Blacks and Asians increased such that their Healthy New Jersey 2020 targets were met, while those for Whites and Hispanics were not.

How Do We Compare With the U.S.?

New Jersey's first trimester prenatal care rate is slightly lower than the national rate.

What Is Being Done?

The [http://nj.gov/health/fhs/ Division of Family Health Services] in the New Jersey Department of Health administers programs to enhance the health, safety and well-being of families and communities in New Jersey. Several programs are aimed at improving birth outcomes. The [https://nj.gov/governor/admin/fl/nurturenj.shtml Nurture NJ] campaign focuses on improving collaboration and programming between all departments, agencies, and stakeholders to make New Jersey the safest and most equitable place in the nation to give birth and raise a baby.
Page Content Updated On 05/19/2022, Published on 05/19/2022
The information provided above is from the Department of Health's NJSHAD web site (https://nj.gov/health/shad). The information published on this website may be reproduced without permission. Please use the following citation: " Retrieved Thu, 28 March 2024 5:02:05 from Department of Health, New Jersey State Health Assessment Data Web site: https://nj.gov/health/shad ".

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