Abstract

Introduction: the prenatal care is a key aspect in public health, with great impact in maternal and perinatal health, as well as in other stages of the life cycle. The features of the prenatal care could be variable between and within countries, and be related to social determinants. The aim of this study was to identify socio-sanitary scenarios of prenatal care, and to analyze associations between social determinants and selected synthetic indicators of prenatal care in Argentina (2010-2018). Methodology: A multi-group ecological study (n=24 jurisdictions) was developed. The data were obtained from secondary sources: the latest available data of the Perinatal Informatics' System (2018) and national census (2010). A hierarchical and agglomerative cluster analysis was carried out (Wards method). The spatial distribution of the scenarios was illustrated by a map. ANOVA test was applied to assess the differences between the identified scenarios. To estimate associations between social indicators and indicators of prenatal care, linear regression models were applied. Results: five socio-sanitary scenarios of prenatal care were identified, which reveal heterogeneities in the distribution of prenatal and social care indicators. In addition, the percentage of households living in poverty presented a direct association, and the human development index and life expectancy at birth an inverse association with insufficient prenatal care. Conclusions: different socio-sanitary scenarios exist in Argentina, and some social characteristics of the contexts in which people live might underlie its configuration.

Keywords prenatal care; social determinants of health; socio-sanitary scenarios