Health
Early Prenatal Care
Source: Arkansas Department of Health
Early Prenatal Care
2019
Arkansas County74%
Ashley County69%
Baxter County69%
Benton County75%
Boone County74%
Bradley County63%
Calhoun County79%
Carroll County63%
Chicot County53%
Clark County81%
Clay County75%
Cleburne County80%
Cleveland County75%
Columbia County66%
Conway County73%
Craighead County71%
Crawford County65%
Crittenden County57%
Cross County71%
Dallas County70%
Desha County70%
Drew County73%
Faulkner County78%
Franklin County68%
Fulton County61%
Garland County69%
Grant County76%
Greene County72%
Hempstead County66%
Hot Spring County74%
Howard County72%
Independence County70%
Izard County69%
Jackson County71%
Jefferson County70%
Johnson County65%
Lafayette County69%
Lawrence County75%
Lee County62%
Lincoln County67%
Little River County74%
Logan County69%
Lonoke County75%
Madison County66%
Marion County63%
Miller County64%
Mississippi County63%
Monroe County65%
Montgomery County68%
Nevada County74%
Newton County76%
Ouachita County66%
Perry County75%
Phillips County56%
Pike County71%
Poinsett County71%
Polk County69%
Pope County69%
Prairie County80%
Pulaski County72%
Randolph County64%
Saline County79%
Scott County55%
Searcy County75%
Sebastian County59%
Sevier County68%
Sharp County72%
St. Francis County64%
Stone County71%
Union County76%
Van Buren County68%
Washington County68%
White County80%
Woodruff County73%
Yell County55%

Source: Arkansas Department of Health







NATIONAL RANKING
42

OUT OF 51
2019

STATE TREND

Increasing


70%

2019
1% = 364

What does this measure?

The number of births to women who initiated prenatal care during the first trimester of pregnancy (before 13 weeks gestation), expressed as a percentage of all live births.

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 Arkansas doing?

In 2019, 70% of births were to women who began prenatal care early, up from 56% in 2014. This makes Arkansas 42nd in the nation on this indicator and 5 percentage points lower than the national rate, at 76%. Since 2014, rates increased steadily for all ethnicities. Whites (73%) had higher rates of utilizing prenatal care than Blacks (65%), Hispanics (61%) and Asians (52%).

Within the state, the lowest rates were in Chicot, Scott, Phillips, Crittenden, Sebastian and Yell counties (all below 60%), while the highest were Clark (81%) and Prairie, White and Cleburne counties (all at 80%).

What contributes to racial and ethnic disparities?

Researchers have uncovered a number of factors contributing to generally lower rates of early prenatal care among mothers of color. These include: socioeconomic characteristics like education and family income; maternal health and characteristics of pregnancies (such as maternal age and number of previous pregnancies); types of insurance coverage - whether women are covered by Medicaid, private insurance, or have no coverage; and the location of prenatal care facilities - in physicians' offices and public health clinics. One study found socioeconomic differences was responsible for roughly half the gap -- pregnant women with lower incomes and levels of formal education often do not have the resources necessary to obtain care early and often - but that public programs such as the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children increased access to care.

Notes about the data

National data is from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). State and county data are from the Arkansas Department of Health. The CDC and Arkansas identify individuals by their race (white, black, etc.) separately from their ethnicity (Hispanic or non-Hispanic). So the totals for these categories cannot be added together, as people show up in both a racial and ethnic group. Due to Arkansas' change to a new birth certificate form in 2014 (the 2003 U.S. Standard Certificate of Live Birth) used to collect this information, prior years of data are not comparable and excluded from the charts above. Aggregate national numbers for 2014 exclude Connecticut, New Jersey, and Rhode Island. Rhode Island is included in 2015, and all states are included in 2016.




Source: Arkansas Department of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention


Early Prenatal Care
201420152016201720182019
Arkansas56%58%60%66%69%70%

Source: Arkansas Department of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention










INDICATORS TREND | STATE
Access to Quality Seats for Infants and Toddlers Not Applicable
Access to Quality Childcare Seats for Preschoolers Not Applicable
Grade 3 Reading Not Applicable
Grade 8 Math Not Applicable
Graduation Rate Not Applicable
Remediation Rate Not Applicable
Adults with a High School Degree Not Applicable
Adults with a Bachelor's Degree or Higher Not Applicable
Adults Pursuing Further Education Not Applicable
Infant Mortality Not Applicable
Early Prenatal Care Not Applicable
Overweight or Obese Students Not Applicable
Student Drug Usage Not Applicable
Overweight or Obese Adults Not Applicable
Physically Inactive Adults Not Applicable
Smoking Rate Not Applicable
Flouridated Water Not Applicable
Insurance Coverage Rates Not Applicable
Oral Health Not Applicable
Life Expectancy Not Applicable
Routine Check-ups Not Applicable
Births to Teens Not Applicable
Female-headed Households Not Applicable
Children Living in Poverty Not Applicable
People Living in Poverty Not Applicable
Elderly Living in Poverty Not Applicable
Median Household Income Not Applicable
Unemployment Rate Not Applicable
Homeownership Rate Not Applicable
Child Abuse and Neglect Not Applicable
Access to Financial Services Not Applicable
Food Insecurity Not Applicable
Incarceration Rate Not Applicable
Homelessness Not Applicable
Change in Total Jobs Not Applicable
Housing Affordability - Owning Not Applicable
Housing Affordability - Renting Not Applicable
Households Below ALICE Threshold Not Applicable
Voter Participation Rate Not Applicable
Charitable Giving Not Applicable
Volunteering Not Applicable
Group Participation Not Applicable
Connection to Neighbors Not Applicable
Local Voting Not Applicable
Change in Population Not Applicable
Change in Population by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Change in Population by Age Not Applicable
Adults with a High School Degree Not Applicable
Adults with a Bachelor's Degree or Higher Not Applicable
Female-headed Households Not Applicable
Children Living in Poverty Not Applicable
People Living in Poverty Not Applicable
Elderly Living in Poverty Not Applicable
Median Household Income Not Applicable
Unemployment Rate Not Applicable
Homeownership Rate Not Applicable
Incarceration Rate Not Applicable
Change in Population by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable


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