Return to Table of Contents Go to Map
No First Trimester Care
No First Trimester Care is the percent of all births in which the mother did not begin
prenatal care during the first three months of the pregnancy. It has been shown that early
prenatal care is essential to the health and well being of newborn infants, particularly in
reducing the rates of infant death, low birth-weight, and other perinatal conditions.
No First Trimester Care is calculated by dividing the number of births not receiving first
trimester care by the total number of births minus the number of births with unknown care.
In 1999, there were 35,732 births in which month prenatal care began was known. Of
those, 7,498 were to mothers who did not begin prenatal care in the first trimester. The
percent No First Trimester Care = (7,498 / 35,732) X 100 = 20.9 percent. Nationally,
16.8 percent of all births in 1999 were to mothers who did not begin care in their first
trimester.
During the period from 1995-1999, the average percent receiving No First Trimester Care
ranged from a low of 13.9 percent in Greene County to a high of 40.8 percent in Phillips
County.
The Southeast region had the highest five-year average of No First Trimester Care at 28.7,
while the Northeast region had the lowest at 20.3.
Although a significant increase in the percentage of Arkansas women not receiving first
trimester prenatal care occurred in 1996, rising from 23.3 percent to 25.2 percent, a steady
decline has taken place since. Calendar year 1999 showed another significant decrease
from 22.1 in 1998 to 20.9 percent in 1999.
The improvement demonstrated in Arkansas is evident nationally as well. In 1999, a total
of 83.2 percent of pregnant mothers received first trimester care.
Receipt of prenatal care varies substantially by race. The Arkansas five-year average for No
First Trimester Care for White mothers was 19.6 percent. The percentage for Black
mothers was higher at 35.4 percent.
Return to Table of Contents Go to Map