Maternal Health Care Services in the State of Ceará, Northeast Brazil

This cross-sectional, household survey was conducted in four municipalities in the state of Ceará, Brazil to assess the utilization and satisfaction with maternal health care services among pregnant women. We identified a total of 207 women who had given birth within the first six months of 2000 (January-June). Study findings suggest that government efforts to further improve women’s health within the context of the Family Health Program (i.e. PSF) in Ceará should focus on three areas: 1) improvements in the quality of care provided to women during pregnancy, delivery and postpartum based on the WHO recommendations; 2) increase the percentage of women receiving postpartum care including health education interventions that address women’s beliefs and attitudes towards post partum care; and 3) increase availability and accessibility of family planning services to all women, with especial attention to the needs of adolescents and teen pregnancy prevention. In addition, intervention programs to be successful need also to address gender inequality, target both young women and men and focus on raising women’s level of awareness in childbearing age so that they know their rights and responsibilities as young women to themselves and society.