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Factors Affecting Adequate Prenatal Care and the Prenatal Care Visits of Immigrant Women to Taiwan

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Abstract

This paper investigates prenatal care utilization, identifies factors affecting the adequacy of prenatal care, and explores the effect of adequate initial timing of prenatal care on total prenatal care visits among Taiwan new immigrant females. Data was obtained from the 2008 Prenatal Care Utilization among Taiwan New Immigrant Females Survey on women who either had at least one preschool-aged child or had delivered their infants but were still hospitalized (N = 476). The Adequacy of Prenatal Care Utilization Index was applied to rate the prenatal care adequacy. The logistic regression model was used to investigate factors associated with the adequacy of prenatal care utilization, and the linear regression model was estimated to identify the impact of influential factors on the prenatal care usage. Females’ nationality, employment, and transportation convenience increased the likelihood of receiving adequate prenatal care. Having adequate initial timing of prenatal care was found to be positively related to the frequency of prenatal care visits. Prenatal care utilization can be affected by factors within the health care system and by characteristics of the population; therefore, a measure of prenatal care utilization cannot distinguish these factors but reflects the result of all of them in varying combinations.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the Bureau of Health Promotion, Department of Health, R.O.C. (Taiwan) (Identification number-DOH97-HP-1208). The views presented here are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the Department of Health, its directors, officers and staff. The authors thank Dr. William S. Pearson for his helpful suggestions and revision of the language on an earlier version of this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Senior Citizen Service Management, National Taichung University of Science and Technology, No. 193, Sec. 1, Sanmin Road, Shi, Taichung, 40343, Taiwan, ROC

    Yia-Wun Liang & Wen-Yi Chen

  2. Department of Nursing, Chung Shan Medical University Hospital, No. 110, Sec. 1, Jianguo N. Rd., Taichung, 40201, Taiwan, ROC

    Hua-Pin Chang

  3. Institute of Medicine, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan, ROC

    Hua-Pin Chang & Long-Yau Lin

  4. Department of Health Services Policy and Management, No. 800 Sumter Street, Columbia, SC, 29208, USA

    Yu-Hsiu Lin

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  1. Yia-Wun Liang
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  2. Hua-Pin Chang
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  3. Yu-Hsiu Lin
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  4. Long-Yau Lin
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  5. Wen-Yi Chen
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Correspondence to Wen-Yi Chen.

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Liang, YW., Chang, HP., Lin, YH. et al. Factors Affecting Adequate Prenatal Care and the Prenatal Care Visits of Immigrant Women to Taiwan. J Immigrant Minority Health 16, 44–52 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-012-9734-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-012-9734-z

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