Citation

Fisher MJ, Ewigman B, Campbell JC, Benfer R, Furbee L, Zweig S. Fam. Med. 1991; 23(6): 443-446.

Affiliation

Family Practice Residency Program, Cox Medical Center, Springfield, MO.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1991, Society of Teachers of Family Medicine)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

1936719

Abstract

To assess the relationship of cognitive factors to a pregnant woman's decision to seek prenatal care, a semi-structured interview instrument was administered to 30 women soon after they were seen for care. A content analysis of interview transcripts was performed to identify variables affecting the decision to seek care. Variables were coded numerically, and those correlated with number of weeks gestation at first visit for pregnancy care were entered into a stepwise linear multiple regression model. Three variables accounted for 74% of the variance in the week of gestation at which pregnancy care began. Women who desired the pregnancy, wished confirmation of the pregnancy, and experienced pregnancy-related symptoms tended to seek care earlier. Results were discussed in terms of the usefulness of this integration of quantitative and qualitative methods for the study of factors related to seeking pregnancy care and the need to consider cognitive factors when designing programs to improve the delivery of prenatal care.