What does this measure?

The number of mothers who received adequate prenatal care through their pregnancy, expressed as a percentage of all live births. Adequate care is defined by the Kessner Index as care that began within the first trimester of pregnancy and included an average of at least one or two additional prenatal visits per month of gestation, depending on the length of gestation.

Why is this important?

Early, high-quality prenatal care is critical to reducing risks for complications of pregnancy or birth and improving birth outcomes.

How is our region performing?

In 2014, only 50% of mothers in the 9-county region received adequate prenatal care, 7 percentage points lower than the state rate and the first time since 2005 that the region's rate fell below the state rate. The rate in our region has declined by 39% since 2000. Rates of adequate care in 2014 were the highest in Jefferson (58%) and Union (57%), while Sevier County (48%) had the lowest in the region. The county with the largest decline in mothers who received adequate prenatal care from 2005 to 2014 was Knox at 37%.

Notes about the data

None.