Correspondence: Adrian V. Rus, PhD, Southwestern Christian University, Behavioral Sciences Department, 7210 NW 39th Expressway, Bethany, OK 73008-0340, USA. Tel: + 1 405 789 7661, ext. 3450. Fax: + 1 405 495 0078. E-mail: adrian.rus@swcu.edu INTRODUCTION The collapse of the Romanian communist regime in 1989 marked a new era for women’ s health initiatives in Romania. Of particular note, health officials began implementing a comprehensive prenatal care programme designed to increase positive health outcomes for infants and mothers 1 . The Ministry of Health adopted a standard of prenatal care practices similar to those prevailing in other developed coun- tries 2–4 , and all women became eligible for a range of free prenatal care services, including risk assessments, The European Journal of Contraception and Reproductive Health Care, 2014; Early Online: 1–7 Characteristics and prenatal care utilisation of Romanian pregnant women Ecaterina Stativa * , Adrian V. Rus † , Nicolae Suciu * , Jacquelyn S. Pennings ‡ , Max E. Butterfield § , Reggies Wenyika † and Rebecca Webster † * The Institute for Mother and Child Care ‘Alfred Rusescu’, Bucharest, Romania, † Behavioral Science Department, Southwestern Christian University, Oklahoma, USA, ‡ Elite Research, LLC, Carrollton, Texas, USA, and § Psychology Department, Point Loma Nazarene University, California, USA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ABSTRACT Objective To describe the degree to which Romanian women access free prenatal care services, and to describe the demographic profile of women who are at risk for underutilisation. Methods Secondary data ( n = 914) were taken from a large, nationally representative sample of Romanian mothers and children ( N = 2117). Kotelchuck’ s Adequacy of Prenatal Care Utilisation Index was used to measure the adequacy of prenatal care. Results Seventy-eight percent of mothers underutilised prenatal care services. Those who did so to the greatest degree were likely to be young, members of an ethnic minority, poor, uneducated, and rural. Conversely, those who utilised care to the greatest degree were likely to be older, members of the ethnic majority, wealthy, educated, and city dwelling. Conclusion Despite the fact that many of the risk factors for underutilisation in this sam- ple were similar to those found elsewhere in Europe and the developed world, these findings illustrate the worrisome magnitude of the problem in Romania, particularly among women with low levels of income and educational attainment. Future studies should examine factors that contribute to underutilisation, whether it corresponds to negative health outcomes, and whether targeted social interventions and outreach could help improve care. KEYWORDS Maternal health services; Maternal welfare; Obstetric care; Prenatal care; Romania © 2014 The European Society of Contraception and Reproductive Health DOI: 10.3109/13625187.2014.907399 Eur J Contracept Reprod Health Care Downloaded from informahealthcare.com by 68.184.190.170 on 05/16/14 For personal use only.