The relationship between antenatal care and preterm birth: the importance of content of care

Antenatal care can play an important role in the prevention of preterm birth. Evaluation of antenatal care is usually based on the number of visits rather than the content of care, using tools such as the Adequacy of Prenatal Care Use index. This article presents an analysis of the relation between specific elements of antenatal care and the risk of preterm birth compared with considering the number of visits only.