Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2019 Jan:20:e21.
doi: 10.1017/S1463423618000725. Epub 2018 Oct 9.

Assessment of the knowledge of Brazilian Community Health Workers regarding prenatal care

Lívia P Bonifácio  1 , João M A Marques  1 , Elisabeth M Vieira  1
Affiliations

Assessment of the knowledge of Brazilian Community Health Workers regarding prenatal care

Lívia P Bonifácio et al. Prim Health Care Res Dev. 2019 Jan.

Abstract

AimTo evaluate prenatal care knowledge of Brazilian community health workers (CHWs).

Background: Routine prenatal care is critical for reducing health risks in women and their children. One of the responsibilities of primary healthcare providers is the provision of prenatal care. The CHWs, with their frequent contact with populations, work to improve health outreach efforts and therefore may be key role players in prenatal care.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study. A questionnaire was developed to ascertain the degree of knowledge regarding prenatal care of CHWs, including: (1) general responsibilities of CHWs; (2) the initial contact with a pregnant woman; (3) examinations and vaccinations recommended for pregnant women; (4) pregnancy complications and signs of labor; and (5) lifestyle considerations for pregnant women. Responses were categorized into levels for knowledge. Demographic data were also collected. Descriptive analyses were conducted. Proportions of subjects with different levels of knowledge were compared according to each demographic variable, separately for each block of knowledge, using the χ 2 and Fisher's exact tests.FindingsIn total, 194 CHWs were interviewed. Overall, the majority of the CHWs presented high levels of knowledge in blocks 1 (43%), 2 (59%) and 5 (83%). However, in block 3 the proportions of subjects with high levels of knowledge regarding examinations and vaccinations were 35 and 40%, respectively. Only 24% of the participants presented a high level of knowledge in block 4. Stratified data analyses suggest that females were statistically more likely to have high levels of knowledge, whereas no statistically significant differences were found for the other demographic variables. Health services are already routinely using the questionnaire.

Conclusion: The results suggest that CHWs, especially female CHWs, have an important role in assisting pregnant women in the community. The study indicates the areas of knowledge that require more specific attention from training providers.

Keywords: community health agent; community health workers; knowledge; prenatal care; primary healthcare.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The percentage distribution of knowledge found in each group of knowledge
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Barbosa RHS, Menezes CAF, David HMSL Bornstein VJ (2012) Gender and healthcare work: a critical view of community health agents’ work. [Portuguese: Gênero e trabalho em Saúde: um olhar crítico sobre o trabalho de agentes comunitárias/os de Saúde]. Interface - Comunicação, Saúde, Educação 16, 751–765.
    1. Barcellos CSN, Pandolfi M Miotto MHMB (2006) Profile of community health worker (CHW) in Vitória-ES. [Portuguese: Perfil do Agente Comunitário de Saúde ACS” de Vitória- ES”]. UFES Revista de Odontologia 8, 21–28.
    1. Bhatia M Rifkin SB (2013) Primary health care, now and forever? A case study of a paradigm change. International Journal of Health Services 43, 459–471. - PubMed
    1. Brazil (1997) Ministry of Health. Ministerial Order No. 1,886, dated December 18: Approves the rules and guidelines of the Community Health Worker Program and the Family Health Program and makes other arrangements. [Portuguese: Portaria n° 1886/GM Aprova as Normas e Diretrizes do Programa de Agentes Comunitários de Saúde e do Programa de Saúde da Família]. Brasilia. Retrieved from http://189.28.128.100/dab/docs/legislacao/portaria1886_18_12_97.pdf.
    1. Brazil (2000) Ministry of Health. Technical Handbook of Prenatal Care. [Portuguese: Assistência Pré-Natal: Manual Técnico] Brasilia. Retrieved from www.portal.saude.gov.br.

Publication types