Impact of Financial Incentives for Prenatal Care on Birth Outcomes and Spending

Objective. To evaluate the impact of offering US$100 each to patients and their obstetricians or midwives for timely and comprehensive prenatal care on low birth weight, neonatal intensive care admissions, and total pediatric health care spending in the first year of life.
Data Sources/Study Setting. Claims and enrollment profiles of the predominantly low-income and Hispanic participants of a union-sponsored, health insurance plan from 1998 to 2001.
Study Design. Panel data analysis of outcomes and spending for participants and nonparticipants using instrumental variables to account for selection bias.
Data Collection/Abstraction Methods. Data provided were analyzed using t -tests and chi-squared tests to compare maternal characteristics and birth outcomes for incentive program participants and nonparticipants, with and without instrumental variables to address selection bias. Adjusted variables were analyzed using logistic regression models.
Principle Findings. Participation in the incentive program was significantly associated with lower odds of neonatal intensive care unit admission (0.45; 95 percent CI, 0.23–0.88) and spending in the first year of life (estimated elasticity of −0.07; 95 percent CI, −0.12 to −0.01), but not low birth weight (0.53; 95 percent CI, 0.23–1.18).
Conclusion. The use of patient and physician incentives may be an effective mechanism for improving use of recommended prenatal care and associated outcomes, particularly among low-income women.     

The Effects of Prenatal Care Utilization on Maternal Health and Health Behaviors

While many economic studies have explored the role of prenatal care in infant health production, the literature is sporadic on the effects of prenatal care on the mother. This research contributes to this understudied but important area using a unique large dataset of sibling newborns delivered by 0.17 million mothers. We apply within‐mother estimators to find robust evidence that poor prenatal care utilization due to late onset of care, low frequency of care visits, or combinations of the two significantly increases the risks of maternal insufficient gestational weight gain, prenatal smoking, premature rupture of membranes, precipitous labor, no breastfeeding, postnatal underweight, and postpartum smoking. The magnitude of the estimates relative to the respective sample means of the outcome variables ranges from 3% to 33%. The results highlight the importance of receiving timely and sufficient prenatal care in improving maternal health and health behaviors during pregnancy as well as after childbirth. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Among Women Receiving Prenatal Care at Three Federally Qualified Health Care Centers

This study assessed the prevalence and interrelationships of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), antecedent trauma, and psychosocial risk factors among pregnant women served at three urban Federally Qualified Health Care Centers. This analysis was part of a validation study of the prenatal risk overview, a structured psychosocial risk screening interview. The study sample included 745 prenatal patients at three clinics who also were administered the major depression, PTSD, alcohol, and drug use modules of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID). Most participants were women of color (89.1 %), under the age of 25 years (67.8 %), and unmarried (86.2 %). The rate for a current PTSD diagnosis was 6.6 % and for subthreshold PTSD 4.2 %. More than half (54 %) of participants reported a trauma that met PTSD criteria; 21 % reported being a victim of or witness to violence or abuse, including 78 % of women with PTSD. Compared to those without PTSD, those with PTSD were 4 times more likely to be at risk for housing instability (AOR 4.15; 95 %CI 1.76, 9.80) and depression (AOR3.91; 95 %CI 2.05, 7.47) and 2 times as likely to be at risk for a drug use disorder (AOR 1.96, 95 %CI 1.04, 3.71) and involvement with child protective services (AOR 2.27; 95 % CI 1.06, 4.89). Women age 25 or older were twice as likely to meet PTSD diagnostic criteria as younger women (AOR2.27; 95 %CI 1.21, 4.28). Trauma exposure and pervasive PTSD were common in this population. Systematic psychosocial risk screening may identify the population with PTSD even without questions specific to this disorder.     

Prenatal Care for Women Veterans Who Use Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care

ObjectiveThe number of women Veterans of childbearing age enrolling in Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care is increasing. Our objective was to describe characteristics of women veterans and resumption of VA care after delivery by use of VA prenatal benefits.Study designWe used data from the National Survey of Women Veterans, a population-based survey. VA-eligible women veterans with at least one live birth who had ever used VA and were younger than 45 years when VA prenatal benefits became available were categorized based on self-reported receipt of VA prenatal benefits. Characteristics of by use of VA prenatal benefits were compared using χ² tests with Rao–Scott adjustment. All analyses used sampling weights.ResultsIn our analytic sample, of those who potentially had the opportunity to use VA prenatal benefits, 25% used these benefits and 75% did not. Compared with women veterans not using VA prenatal benefits, those who did were more likely to be 18 to 24 years old (39.9% vs. 3.7%; p = .03), and more likely to have self-reported diagnosed depression (62.5% vs. 24.5%; p = .02) and current depression or posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms (depression, 46.1% vs. 8% [p = .02]; PTSD, 52.5% vs. 14.8% [p = .02]). Compared with women veterans not using VA prenatal benefits, those who did were more likely to resume VA use after delivery (p < .001).ConclusionPregnant women veterans who use VA prenatal benefits are a high-risk group. Among those who opt not to use these benefits, pregnancy is an important point of attrition from VA health care, raising concerns regarding retention of women veterans within VA and continuity of care.     

非户籍妇女孕产期保健直接医疗费用调查

目的 通过对非户籍妇女孕产期保健的直接医疗费用进行调查,了解非户籍妇女产前保健和住院分娩经济负担,探讨非户籍妇女孕产期保健筹资的公平性.方法 选取2006年7月至2007年6月间单月在上海市某二级综合医院分娩的所有非户籍人口产妇,共475例,对孕产期保健经济负担进行调查.结果 475例研究对象住院天数平均为5.93天,研究对象平均产前检查直接医疗费用为897.03元.阴道分娩组住院直接医疗费用平均为1 378.26元,各项费用构成占前3位的是手术费、检验费、西药费:剖宫产组住院直接医疗费用平均为3 169.64元,各项费用占前3住的是手术费、西药费、检验费.家庭年收入<2万元组孕产期保健直接医疗费用占家庭年收入的比例最高.占家庭年收入的22.17％.结论 相对于低收入的非户籍人口家庭来说,非户籍妇女的孕产期保健费用仍偏高,而较高的孕产期保健费用可降低非户籍妇女的孕产期保健的可及性.     

Maternal Mental Health: Pathways of Care for Women Experiencing Mental Health Issues During Pregnancy

Perinatal mental health has become the focus for policymakers, government, research, the acute health sector, and health practitioners. The aim of this clinical data-mining study (Epstein, 2010 Epstein, I. 2010. Clinical Data-Mining: Integrating Practice and Research, New York, NY: Oxford University Press.  [Google Scholar]) was to undertake a retrospective exploration into the primary mental health and psychosocial issues experienced by women who were pregnant and accessing obstetric care at one of the largest maternity hospitals in Australia. The study also investigated service pathways and gaps. Aboriginal women were overrepresented, demonstrating their ongoing disadvantage, whereas other linguistically and culturally diverse women were underrepresented, suggesting the existence of barriers to service. Although psychosocial factors tend to be underreported (Buist et al., 2002 Buist, A.E., Barnett, B.E., Milgrom, J., Pope, S., Condon, J.T., Ellwood, D. and Hayes, B.A. 2002. To screen or not to screen – That is the question in perinatal depression. Medical Journal of Australia, 177(Suppl S): 101–105.  [Google Scholar]), the findings highlighted the integral rather than peripheral nature of these factors during pregnancy (Vilder, 2006 Vilder, C.H. 2006. Improving treatment outcomes for depressed women: Use of self help inventory in counselling settings. Psychotherapy Australia, 12(2): 74–81.  [Google Scholar]) and suggest the need for change to systems that work to support women's perinatal mental health.     

Promising Practices in Preconception Care for Women at Risk for Poor Health and Pregnancy Outcomes

Objectives: Two programs targeting urban African-American women are presented as promising models for preconception care, which includes interconception care. Methods: The Grady Memorial Hospital Interpregnancy Care (IPC) Program in Atlanta, Georgia, and the Magnolia Project in Jacksonville, Florida, are described. The IPC program aims to investigate whether IPC can improve the health status, pregnancy planning and child spacing of women at risk of recurrent very low birthweight (VLBW). The Magnolia Project aims to reduce key risks in women of childbearing age, such as lack of family planning and repeat sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), through its case management activities. Results: Seven out of 21 women in the IPC were identified as having a previously unrecognized or poorly managed chronic disease. 21/21 women developed a reproductive plan for themselves, and none of the 21 women became pregnant within nine months following the birth of their VLBW baby. The Magnolia Project had a success rate of greater than 70% in resolving the key risks (lack of family planning, repeat STDs) among case management participants. The black to white infant mortality (IM) ratio was better for the babies born to women managed in the Magnolia Project compared to the same ration for the United States. Conclusions: Preconception care targeted to African-American women at risk for poor birth outcomes appears to be effective when specific risk factors are identified and interventions are appropriate. Outreach to women at risk and case management can be effective in optimizing the woman's health and subsequent reproductive health outcomes.     

Characteristics and Health Care Preferences Associated with Cardiovascular Disease Risk among Women Veterans

BackgroundWomen veterans are at increased risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD), but little is known about comorbidities and healthcare preferences associated with CVD risk in this population.MethodsWe describe the prevalence of CVD-relevant health behaviors, mental health symptoms, and health care use characteristics and preferences among participants of the National Survey of Women Veterans (conducted 2008–2009).FindingsFifty-four percent of respondents were at risk for CVD (defined as a diagnosis of hypertension, diabetes, current tobacco use, or obesity without CVD). In unadjusted analysis, ORs for being at risk for CVD were greater among those interested in gender-specific clinical settings (OR, 2.0; 95% CI, 1.2–3.4) and gender-specific weight loss programs (OR, 1.8; 95% CI, 1.1–2.9). ORs were also greater for women who were physically inactive (OR, 1.9; 95% CI, 1.1–3.3), with current symptoms of depression (OR, 2.5; 95% CI, 1.1–6.1), anxiety (OR, 2.1; 95% CI, 1.2–3.6), and posttraumatic stress disorder (OR, 2.4; 95% CI, 1.2–4.8). Adjusting for age, race/ethnicity, marital status, education level, employment, and source of health care use, the ORs for CVD risk were higher for women with current posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms (2.5; 95% CI, 1.1–5.3) and gender-specific health care preferences (2.0; 95% CI, 1.1–3.4), and gender-specific weight loss programs (1.9; 95% CI, 1.1–3.2).ConclusionsRisk for CVD was common and preferences for gender-specific care and posttraumatic stress disorder were associated with being at risk for CVD. Women's health clinics may be a good location for targeted CVD prevention interventions for women veterans both in and outside the Veterans Health Administration.     

新疆生产建设兵团已婚育龄妇女孕产期保健状况调查

目的：了解新疆生产建设兵团1971-2006年间孕产期保健状况。方法：采取分层整群、四阶段、概率比例随机抽样方法,调查员入户面对面问卷调查。结果：共调查有活产已婚育龄妇女6624人,2001年以来,产前检查率、孕早期（妊娠≤12周）检查率、师直≥8次产前检查率、团场≥5次产前检查率、住院分娩率分别达到了86.60％、66.64％、58.70％、65.19％、82.01％,在家分娩率降到14.10％,而产后访视率仅为32.01％。育龄妇女的分娩时期、民族、受教育程度、生育史、家庭年收入、职业与是否参加产前检查有关。结论：近几年孕产期保健状况有明显改善,但产前检查率、孕早期检查率和产后访视率偏低,应特别加强对文化程度低、从事农业、少数民族孕妇的健康教育,普及孕产期卫生保健知识,规范产后访视,提高孕产期保健服务质量和服务利用率。     

Maternal Care Coordination for Migrant Farmworker Women: Program Structure and Evaluation of Effects on Use of Prenatal Care and Birth Outcome

Nearly three fourths of the migrant farmworkers in the U.S. are Hispanic. Cultural and social barriers, along with constant travel, make coordination of care a significant concern for migrant health centers providing perinatal services to female farmworkers. As part of a demonstration project, a migrant-specific maternal care coordination program was developed that used bilingual staff, outreach services, lay health advisers, and a multistate tracking system. Following the initiation of the project, first-trimester entry into prenatal care and number of prenatal visits increased over a five-year period among the target population. Successful tracking methods provided outcome data on more than 80 percent of participants during the project period. The results of this study suggest that migrant health centers should focus on employing public health-oriented bilingual or bicultural health professionals and that an outreach strategy must be an integral part of a health care delivery system serving migrant farmworkers. Without these key ingredients, health care services will not be accessible or acceptable for this hard-to-reach population. Collaboration among the National Migrant Resource Program, the Migrant Clinicians Network, and the National Perinatal Association can facilitate development of a regionwide perinatal service system for female migrant farmworkers.     

Maternal Near Miss: An Indicator for Maternal Health and Maternal Care

Maternal mortality is one of the important indicators used for the measurement of maternal health. Although maternal mortality ratio remains high, maternal deaths in absolute numbers are rare in a community. To overcome this challenge, maternal near miss has been suggested as a compliment to maternal death. It is defined as pregnant or recently delivered woman who survived a complication during pregnancy, childbirth or 42 days after termination of pregnancy. So far various nomenclature and criteria have been used to identify maternal near-miss cases and there is lack of uniform criteria for identification of near miss. The World Health Organization recently published criteria based on markers of management and organ dysfunction, which would enable systematic data collection on near miss and development of summary estimates. The prevalence of near miss is higher in developing countries and causes are similar to those of maternal mortality namely hemorrhage, hypertensive disorders, sepsis and obstructed labor. Reviewing near miss cases provide significant information about the three delays in health seeking so that appropriate action is taken. It is useful in identifying health system failures and assessment of quality of maternal health-care. Certain maternal near miss indicators have been suggested to evaluate the quality of care. The near miss approach will be an important tool in evaluation and assessment of the newer strategies for improving maternal health.     

Utilization of Maternal Health Care Services among Married Adolescent Women: Insights from the Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey, 2008

BackgroundAn ongoing social catastrophe of very poor performance in maternal health coupled with an unacceptably high number of maternal deaths is evident in Nigeria, especially among adolescent women. This study examines the factors associated with selected maternity services—married adolescent women who have had at least four antenatal care (ANC) visits, those who have undergone safe delivery care, and those who received postnatal care within 42 days of delivery.MethodsData from Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey, 2008, were used. An eligible sample of 2,434 married adolescent (aged 15–19 years) women was included in the analysis. Pearson chi-square test and binary logistic regression were performed to fulfill the study objective.ResultsIt was found that about 35% of adolescent women had at least four ANC visits, a little over 25% had undergone safe delivery care, and nearly 32% received postnatal care within 42 days of delivery. Women's education, husband's education, wealth quintile, and region of residence were documented as the most important factors associated with maternal healthcare service utilization. The ANC visit was found to be vital in the utilization of safe delivery and postnatal care.ConclusionFindings indicate that programs to improve maternal healthcare have not succeeded in overcoming the socioeconomic obstacles in the way of adolescents' utilizing maternity services. In the long run, the content and service delivery strategy of maternity programs must be designed in keeping with the socioeconomic context with special attention to adolescent women who are uneducated, poor, and residing in rural areas.     

卫生Ⅷ项目对孕产期保健服务利用公平性的影响

目的探讨卫生Ⅷ项目在实现孕产期保健服务利用公平性目标中的作用。方法利用"卫生Ⅷ项目/卫生Ⅷ支持性项目对母婴保健与健康影响"专项评估中的孕产妇入户调查数据库,分析项目县和非项目县不同家庭收入妇女利用孕产期保健服务的差异。结果综合试点县和一般项目县的各项产前、产时和产后保健服务利用率的"最高收入组-最低收入组"的极差都不同程度地低于对照县,且随收入变化的等级趋势也明显弱化。结论乡镇卫生院建设和住院分娩费用减免等项目措施的综合实施,有效地提高了贫困孕产妇利用基本孕产期保健服务的可及性和可负担性,从而改善了孕产妇医疗保健服务利用的公平性。     

Effects of Prenatal Care on Child Health at Age 5

The broad goal of contemporary prenatal care is to promote the health of the mother, child, and family through the pregnancy, delivery, and the child’s development. Although the vast majority of mothers giving birth in developed countries receive prenatal care, past research has not found compelling evidence that early or adequate prenatal care has favorable effects on birth outcomes. It is possible that prenatal care confers health benefits to the child that do not become apparent until after the perinatal period. Using data from a national urban birth cohort study in the US, we estimate the effects of prenatal care on four markers of child health at age 5—maternal-reported health status, asthma diagnosis, overweight, and height. Prenatal care, defined a number of different ways, does not appear to have any effect on the outcomes examined. The findings are robust and suggest that routine health care encounters during the prenatal period could potentially be used more effectively to enhance children’s health trajectories. However, future research is needed to explore the effects of prenatal care on additional child health and developmental outcomes as well as the effects of preconceptional and maternal lifetime healthcare on child health.     

开展外来婚嫂生殖健康教育和保健服务的效果评价

目的加速提高外来婚嫂生殖健康教育和保健服务的水平,使她们与本市妇女一样共同享有市委市政府要求的:“2010年人人享有优质的生殖服务”,探索到一条对外嫂生殖健康教育保健服务可持续发展的道路。方法在本街道23个居委会中,对5个居委会整群抽样调查《外来婚嫂生殖健康服务的现状、需求》,研究对象分为管理组和对照组进行研究,然后将研究结果在对照组中重复验证,进行双向比较。结果外嫂生殖健康教育及保健服务的重要指标分别得到明显提升,大部分达到上海市计生办和有关行政管理部门提出的主要指标。讨论大部分外嫂对生殖健康保健服务是渴望的。只要政府重视、社会关爱、她们有很强的依从性,采取健康教育为主,互帮互助的人性化教育,可以提高她们在生殖健康教育保健服务方面的应知应会。妇女的两年一次生殖健康普查,采用政府贴一点、医院让一点、白己出一点的方法是完全可以做到的。     

Impact of Psychosocial Risk Factors on Prenatal Care Delivery: A National Provider Survey

To evaluate providers’ perspectives regarding the delivery of prenatal care to women with psychosocial risk factors. A random, national sample of 2,095 prenatal care providers (853 obstetricians and gynecologists (Ob/Gyns), 270 family medicine (FM) physicians and 972 midwives) completed a mailed survey. We measured respondents’ practice and referral patterns regarding six psychosocial risk factors: adolescence (age ≤19), unstable housing, lack of paternal involvement and social support, late prenatal care (>13 weeks gestation), domestic violence and drug or alcohol use. Chi square and logistic regression analyses assessed the association between prenatal care provider characteristics and prenatal care utilization patterns. Approximately 60 % of Ob/Gyns, 48.4 % of midwives and 32.2 % of FM physicians referred patients with psychosocial risk factors to clinicians outside of their practice. In all three specialties, providers were more likely to increase prenatal care visits with alternative clinicians (social workers, nurses, psychologists/psychiatrists) compared to themselves for all six psychosocial risk factors. Drug or alcohol use and intimate partner violence were the risk factors that most often prompted an increase in utilization. In multivariate analyses, Ob/Gyns who recently completed clinical training were significantly more likely to increase prenatal care utilization with either themselves (OR 2.15; 95 % CI 1.14–4.05) or an alternative clinician (2.27; 1.00–4.67) for women with high psychosocial risk pregnancies. Prenatal care providers frequently involve alternative clinicians such as social workers, nurses and psychologists or psychiatrists in the delivery of prenatal care to women with psychosocial risk factors.     

福建农村妇女妇幼保健知识及行为调查

福建省妇幼保健院与基层卫生人员于1998年11月对福建省5个项目县的1000名妇女进行了产妇保健和儿童保健调查,结果报告如下.