Trimester of Prenatal Care
Starting prenatal care in the first trimester of pregnancy is the optimal timing for beginning prenatal care. In 2008, 76.9% of all Florida resident births were born to mothers who began prenatal care in the first trimester. This percentage peaked in 2003 at 85.9% and has since declined to 76.13% in 2020.
Smoking
Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of numerous health problems for the mother and newborn including risk of low birth weight and preterm birth. In 2010, 7.0% of all newborns in Florida were born to mothers who smoked during pregnancy. This percentage declined steadily to 3.7% in 2020.
Pre-Pregnancy Body Mass Index
The percentage of Florida births to mothers who have a normal BMI (18.5-24.9) decreased from 48.77% in 2010 to 40.94% in 2020. The percentage of births to mothers in the overweight BMI (25-29.9) category increased from 25.2% in 2010 to 27.63% in 2020. In the obese (BMI >=30) category, the percentage of births was 21.13% in 2010 and increased to 28.05% in 2020.