Factors associated with the timing of the first prenatal ultrasound in Canada

• Published in: BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth
• Main Authors: Peri Abdullah, Christine Kurtz Landy, Hugh McCague, Alison Macpherson, Hala Tamim
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: BMC 2019
• Subjects: Prenatal ultrasound; Canada; Epidemiology; Multinomial logistic regression; Gynecology and obstetrics; RG1-991; British Columbia; Newfoundland
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-019-2309-4; https://doaj.org/article/fb544bbb54ed4bada79643f88c026d3e

Abstract Background The aim of this study was to investigate the factors associated with the timing of the first prenatal ultrasound in Canada. Methods This was a secondary data analysis of the Maternity Experiences Survey, a cross-sectional survey covering different aspects of pregnancy, labour, birth and the post-partum period. Bivariate and multivariate multinomial logistic regressions were performed to assess the relationship between timing of first prenatal ultrasound and different independent variables. Results 68.4% of Canadian women received an optimally timed first prenatal ultrasound, 27.4% received early ultrasounds and 4.3% received late ultrasound. The highest prevalence of early ultrasound was in Ontario (33.3%) and the lowest was in Manitoba (13.3%). The highest prevalence of late ultrasound was found in Manitoba (12.1%) and the lowest was in British Columbia and Ontario (3.5% each). The highest prevalence of optimal timing of first prenatal ultrasound was in Quebec (77%) and the lowest was in Ontario (63.2%). Factors influencing the timing of ultrasound included: Early – maternal age < 20 (adjusted OR = 0.54, 95%CI:0.34–0.84), alcohol use during pregnancy (adjusted OR = 0.69, 95%CI:0.53–0.90), history of premature birth (adjusted OR = 1.41, 95%CI:1.06–1.89), multiparity (adjusted OR = 0.67, 95%CI:0.57–0.78), born outside of Canada (adjusted OR = 0.82, 95%CI:0.67–0.99), prenatal care in Newfoundland and Labrador (adjusted OR = 1.66, 95%CI:1.20–1.30), Nova Scotia (adjusted OR = 1.68, 95%CI:1.25–2.28), Ontario (adjusted OR = 2.16, 95%CI:1.76–2.65), Saskatchewan (adjusted OR = 1.50, 95%CI:1.05–2.14), Alberta (adjusted OR = 1.37, 95%CI:1.05–1.77) British Columbia (adjusted OR = 1.90, 95%CI:1.45–2.50) and Manitoba (adjusted OR = 0.66, 95%CI:0.45–0.98) Late – unintended pregnancy (adjusted OR = 1.89, 95%CI:1.38–2.59), born outside of Canada (adjusted OR = 1.75, 95%CI:1.14–2.68), prenatal care in Manitoba (adjusted OR = 2.88, 95%CI:1.64–5.05) and the Territories (adjusted OR = 4.50, 95%CI:2.27–8.93). ...