Factors associated with non-use of an early prenatal interview, data from 2021 National Perinatal Survey

Pregnancy monitoring in France includes an early prenatal interview (EPP), to assess with the pregnant woman any needs she may have for support during her pregnancy. The aim was to study the factors associated with the absence of an EPP.

The study population corresponded to women with a live birth in metropolitan France who answered the question about the EPP in the ENP 2021 (n=10,925). Individual factors and health offer were analysed using Chi-square tests and multivariate mixed logistic regression.

Over 60% of women reported not having had an EPP or that they didn’t know. Women under 25 years of age (adjusted OR= 1.30, 95%IC[1.10-1.55]), or not French nationality (ORa=2.10 [1.61-2.73] if North African nationality), or with a level of education lower than high school (ORa=2.17 [1.86-2.54]), had a higher probability of declaring that they had not had an EPP. Compared with women attended by a private midwife, women attended by a private or public obstetrician-gynaecologist (ORa=1.81 [1.62-2.03] ; ORa=1.66 [1.42-1.95]), a general practitioner (ORa=1.62 [1.29-2.04]) or a midwife in a maternity (ORa=1.19 [1.03-1.37]) more often reported not having had an EPP, as well as women living in a department with a low density of private midwives (ORa=1.51 [1.11-2.05]).

Raising awareness and training healthcare professionals in EPP are key to its deployment, as there are social inequalities in the way it is currently practised. Particular attention needs to be paid to the most vulnerable socio-economic groups.