Abstract

ATIENZO, Erika E; SUAREZ-LOPEZ, Leticia; MENESES-PALOMINO, Melva  and  CAMPERO, Lourdes. Prenatal care among adolescents in Peru, a comparative analysis with adult women. Rev Med Hered [online]. 2016, vol.27, n.3, pp.131-138. ISSN 1018-130X.

Objective: To describe medical practices reported by women that received prenatal care (PNC) in Peru. Particularly, we aim to identify differences in the services provided to adolescents compared to adult women. Methods: Descriptive study. Data came from the Demographic Health Surveys 2004-2008 in Peru, which included information of 994 adolescents (15-19 years old) and 12 556 adult women (20-49 years old). Comparisons were made between adolescents and adult women regarding the practices received during prenatal care visits. Results: Among adolescents, 50% initiated PNC during the third month of pregnancy whereas half of the adult women started on the second month. Adolescents received 7 prenatal visits comparing to 8 in adult women. Comparing to adult women, adolescents reported in lower proportions that they received some of the medical practices during prenatal care. Conclusions: Adolescents accessed PNC later than adult women. This suggests that they have less opportunities of receiving services that include all the medical actions recommended. Effective strategies should be implemented in order to promote an adequate and early prenatal care.

Keywords : Adolescent; pregnancy in adolescence; prenatal care; health services; Peru.

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