Understanding the meaning of pregnancy and prenatal care: How meaning affects prenatal care seeking behavior

The meanings women attribute to pregnancy and prenatal care and the manner in which those meanings affect decisions to utilize prenatal care services are examined. Using an Integrated Model of Prenatal Care Utilization based on concepts from Poole & Carlton, Ginsburg and Polkinghorne, a qualitative research design was used to examine how women entering the prenatal care program think about pregnancy and prenatal care, to examine the context of prenatal care services where patients and service providers interact, and to examine the delivery of social work services as an enabling factor within that context. The results indicate that the prenatal care service delivery system is embedded in a cultural infrastructure that may operate to constrain utilization in some instances and to enhance utilization in others. Recommendations are made to address those factors that operate to restrict utilization. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 53-03, Section: A, page: 0949. / Major Professor: Shimon Gottschalk. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1992.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_76619
ContributorsWells, Janice Gross., Florida State University
Source SetsFlorida State University
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeText
Format277 p.
RightsOn campus use only.
RelationDissertation Abstracts International

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