Adequacy of Prenatal Care in Northeast Brazil: Pilot Data Comparing Attainment of Standard Care Criteria for First-Time Adolescent and Adult Pregnant Women

Raísa Barbosa de Andrade,1 Catherine M Pirkle,2 Tetine Sentell,2 Diego Bassani,3 Marlos Rodrigues Domingues,4 Saionara MA Câmara1,5 1Postgraduate Program in Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences of Trairi, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil; 2Office of Public Health Studies, University of Hawaii at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI, USA; 3Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine & Dalla Lana School of Public Health University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; 4Postgraduate Programme in Physical Education, Federal University of Pelotas, Pelotas, Brazil; 5Postgraduate Program in Rehabilitation Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences of Trairi, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, BrazilCorrespondence: Saionara MA CâmaraFaculdade de Ciências da Saúde do Trairi, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Rua Teodorico Bezerra, s/n, Centro, Santa Cruz, RN, BrazilTel +55 84 99480-6888Email saionaraaires@gmail.comBackground: Adolescent pregnancy is a public health concern worldwide, particularly in low-income settings. Adolescent mothers face higher risks during pregnancy and delivery compared to adult mothers and yet, may also experience worse quality of obstetrical care. This study evaluates adherence to meeting Brazilian recommendations for prenatal care by comparing first-time adolescent versus adult mothers in a rural, low-income setting.Methods: Using data from the Adolescence and Motherhood Research (AMOR) project, we evaluated adherence to national recommendations as documented in the prenatal cards of 39 adolescents (13– 18 years) and 37 adults (23– 28 years) from a low-income area in northeast Brazil. Recommendations included ≥ 6 prenatal consultations, gestational age ≤ 12 weeks at the first visit, participation in 3 educational activities, 2 serology for syphilis (VDRL) and HIV, 1 Toxoplasmosis serology, 2 urine tests, 2 blood glucose and