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

In 2022, in the MetroWest region, rates of early prenatal care were 74% for African American births, 79% for Hispanic births, 86% for Asian births and 86% for white births. These rates were all between 2 and 4 percentage points higher than the state rates for 2022, which showed similar racial and ethnic disparities. Since 2016, there were slight improvements in the rates for most groups in MetroWest.

Norfolk County had a substantially higher prenatal care rate for Hispanic births (85%) than Middlesex or Worcester (76% and 82%, respectively). Compared to the region as a whole, the prenatal care rate for Black mothers was higher in Norfolk (81%). The rates for white mothers was highest in Norfolk (89%) and Asian mothers was highest in Worcester (88%). Data for this indicator was not available for individual communities in the region.

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.

The rate excludes the number of live births for which the date of entry into prenatal care is unknown. In addition to considering when prenatal care began, it is also important to understand the quality and continuity of care received throughout the pregnancy.