Perceived health needs and receipt of services during pregnancy - Oklahoma and South Carolina, 2004-2007

Prenatal care visits present an opportunity for health-care providers to offer services recommended by professional societies and educate women regarding behaviors and exposures that might affect their pregnancies. To determine whether women who identified a need for a service during pregnancy received that service, CDC analyzed 2004-2007 data (the most recent available) from the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) for Oklahoma and South Carolina, the only two states to include questions on the topic on their PRAMS questionnaires. This report summarizes the results of that analysis, which indicated substantial differences between perceived need and receipt of 1) assistance in reducing violence in the home, 2) counseling information for family or personal problems, 3) help to quit smoking, 4) help with an alcohol or drug problem, and 5) dental care. In South Carolina and Oklahoma, respectively, 1.7% and 2.9% of pregnant women stated a need for help to reduce violence in the home. Of those, only 12.8% and 21.0% reported receiving that help. In South Carolina and Oklahoma, respectively, 7.4% and 12.6% of pregnant women stated a need for help to quit smoking during pregnancy; of those, only 29.1% and 30.4% reported receiving that help. Adherence by health-care providers to established guidance for treating pregnant women might help reduce the differences between perceived need and receipt of services. Additional research to identify obstacles to receipt of services might enable state programs to further narrow these differences.