Assessment of prenatal care for indigenous women in Brazil: findings from the First National Survey of Indigenous People’s Health and Nutrition

Abstract: This study assesses prenatal care for indigenous women 14-49 years of age with children under five years of age in Brazil. The First National Survey of Indigenous People’s Health and Nutrition assessed 3,967 women who met these criteria, of whom 41.3% in the North, 21.2% in the Central, 22.2% in the Northeast, and 15% in the South/Southeast. Prenatal care was offered to 3,437 (86.6%) of these women. The North of Brazil showed the highest proportion of indigenous women who did not receive prenatal care. Coverage was 90.4%, but only some 30% began prenatal care in the first trimester, and only 60% of the eligible women were vaccinated for diphtheria and tetanus. Only 16% of indigenous pregnant women had seven or more prenatal visits. Access to at least one clinical-obstetric consultation was found in 97% of the records, except for breast examination (63%). Laboratory test rates were low (blood glucose 53.6%, urinalysis 53%, complete blood count 56.9%, Pap smear 12.9%, syphilis test 57.6%, HIV serology 44.2%, hepatitis B 53.6%, rubella 21.4%, and toxoplasmosis 32.6%), as was prescription of ferrous sulfate (44.1%). As a whole, the proportion of orders for recommended laboratory tests was only 53%. The percentages of prenatal care procedures for indigenous women are lower than for non-indigenous Brazilian women as a whole, and are even lower than among women in regions with high social vulnerability and low healthcare coverage, like the Legal Amazonia and the Northeast. The results confirm the persistence of ethnic-racial inequalities that compromise the health and well-being of indigenous mothers.