RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PRENATAL CARE, MATERNAL MORTALITYAND SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC FACTORS

Abstract

Prenatal care has many beneficial effects on ensuring a healthy pregnancy for the mother-fetus binomial. On the other hand, obstacles related to sociodemographic characteristics mean that maternal adherence is not homogeneous in Brazil, contributing to harmful outcomes. The aim of this study is therefore to find out the sociodemographic profile of mothers who do not comply with prenatal care instructions and those whose pregnancy resulted in maternal death. This is a quantitative, descriptive, cross-sectional study carried out through a survey of the DATASUS databases between 2019 and 2023. Data was collected on the following variables: maternal age group, marital status, number of prenatal consultations and maternal death rate. In this sense, the sociodemographic variables that were related to a lower rate of adherence to prenatal care and/or a higher rate of maternal mortality were: northern and northeastern regionalities; brown, black or indigenous races; single women; lower maternal level of education; and teenage pregnancy. These findings are associated, among other factors, respectively, with the lack of access to services in certain regions and for certain races, difficulty in understanding guidelines, lack of support from spouses and greater exposure to risks. Direct causes were the main causes of death, showing the positive influence of sufficient prenatal care. The conclusion is that public health strategies should include sociodemographic risk characteristics as a guide for campaigns and in the active search for women in threatening situations.