Prenatal care use among selected Asian American groups

Objectives. This study examined the predictors of 3 patterns of prenatal ca re use (no care, late initiation of care, and inadequate use after early in itiation) for 4 Asian American ethnic groups in the United States. Methods. Single live births to US resident mothers of Chinese, Japanese, Ko rean, and Vietnamese ancestry (n = 273604) were selected from the 1992-1996 US natality files. Logistic regression was used to analyze the effects of maternal characteristics on the 3 use measures. Results. Korean Americans and Vietnamese Americans had the lowest levels of prenatal care use. Young or single motherhood, high parity for age, and lo w educational attainment were the main risk factors for low use. Conclusions. Considerable variability exists in prenatal care use among Asi an American ethnic groups.