Abstract:

Introduction: Prenatal care is an important tool to determine and decrease the risks of delivery outcome; such as low birth weight, death or mortality during first year of life. The main objective of these care are healthy delivery without jeopardizing mothers’ health. Some factors prohibit receiving proper and promote prenatal care and cause mother and child health complications. Knowing these factors to identify groups at risk and needed areas for intervention is essential in every society.

Objective: To determine mothers receiving prenatal care from health centers in Rasht and influencing factors from their view in 2008.

Methods: This descriptive study surveyed 354 mothers referring to health centers in Rasht city who were chosen by cluster sampling. Data collection tool was a 3 part questionnaire.

Results: Findings showed that 53.4% of women receiving insufficient prenatal care. There was a significant correlation of care and employment condition (p=0.026) level of spouse’s education (p=0.042) and income (p=0.005). The most effective factors on receiving prenatal care from mothers’ view were "to know the manner and number of prenatal care".(85.3%). 

Conclusion: In existence of prenatal care in health centers, almost half of women do not use these care provided. Among  barriers to utilization of care were not knowing the manner and number of prenatal care, compliance with the women's privacy in time of providing care and providers manner of communication in health centers. Some of women's demographic and family characteristics were also barriers to utilization of prenatal care which provider's attention to these characteristics seems important in promotion of receiving better prenatal care.

Key Words: pregnant women, Maternal – Child Health Center, prenatal care, Attitude.