Table 3.
Characteristics of Indices of Prenatal Care Utilization Evaluated for their Measurement Properties
| Index and Studies | Adequate Start of Prenatal care | Adequate Number of Prenatal Visits | Categories of Prenatal Care | Basis for Standard | Properties Evaluated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| APNCUI [10, 12, 14, 15, 19–27] | 1–4 mo | 11 |
Intensive Adequate Intermediate Inadequate No care/missing |
ACOG |
- Reliability - Predictive validity - Concurrent validity |
| Kessner Index [10, 12, 14, 21, 22, 24, 25, 27] | 1–3 mo | 9 |
Adequate Intermediate Inadequate No care/missing |
ACOG |
- Reliability - Predictive validity - Concurrent validity |
| GINDEX [12, 14, 25] | 1–3 mo | 9 |
Intensive Adequate Intermediate Inadequate No care/missing |
ACOGa |
- Reliability - Predictive validity - Concurrent validity |
| R-GINDEX [12, 15] | 1–3 mo | 13 |
Intensive Adequate Intermediate Inadequate No care Missing |
ACOG | - Predictive validity |
| PHS/EPPC [12, 25] | 1–2 mo | 7 (multipara); 9 (primipara) |
Adequate Intermediate Inadequate No care/missing data |
PHS |
- Reliability - Concurrent validity |
| IPR/Prenatal Index [24, 25] | 1–3 mo | ≥ 6 |
Adequate Intermediate Inadequate |
- Reliability - Predictive validity - Concurrent validity |
|
| Carvalho & Novaes Index [25] | 1–3 mo | ≥ 7 |
Adequate Inadequate |
NR |
- Reliability - Concurrent validity |
| Ciari Index [25] | 1–3 mo | 11 |
Good Fair Missing |
NR |
- Reliability - Concurrent validity |
| Cluster solution [23] | NR | ≥ 12 | Six clusters of patterns of prenatal care | NR | - Concurrent validity |
| Coutinho Index [25] | 1–3.5 mo | ≥ 6 |
Adequate Intermediate Inadequate |
NR |
- Reliability - Concurrent validity |
| Content and Timing of Care in Pregnancy [26] | 1–4 mo | Minimum 80% ratio between visits conducted and expected visits |
Appropriate Sufficient Intermediate Inadequate |
NR | - Predictive validity |
| LV-APNC [20] | NR | 9 |
Adequate Plus Adequate Intermediate Inadequate |
NR | - Predictive validity |
ACOG American College of Obstetrics & Gynecology, IPR Infrastructure, process, and results, LV-APNC Last Visit Adequacy of Prenatal Care Index, mo months
aDoes not follow full ACOG prenatal care visit recommendation for term and post-term births