Factors associated with prenatal care and seeking assistance in public hospitals in Vitória, Espírito Santo, Brazil.

Adequate prenatal care provides an opportunity for counseling and reducing the complications associated with pregnancy and delivery. Our objective was to describe the demographic, behavioral, and clinical profile of the pregnant women hospitalized at public maternity hospitals and to identify factors associated with six or more prenatal consultations in Vitória, Brazil. A cross-sectional study of 1,380 women was conducted in public maternity hospitals in Vitória, Brazil.

[Prevalence of syphilis and HIV using rapid tests among parturients attended in public maternity hospitals in Vitória, State of Espírito Santo].

The aim of this study was to describe the prevalence of syphilis and HIV among parturients attended at public maternity hospitals in Vitória, Espírito Santo. Between January and May 2007, interviews were conducted to obtain demographic, behavioral and clinical data. The subjects were tested for HIV using a rapid test, ELISA and the indirect fluorescence assay; and for syphilis using a rapid test, VDRL and MHA-TP.