In 2000, nearly 3 out of 4 births (74.4 percent) to Hispanic women were to those who received early prenatal care (in the first trimester).  While this is an increase from 1990 (when the rate was 60.2 percent), it is still nearly 16 percent lower than the 88.5 percent of births to non-Hispanic white women who began prenatal care in the first trimester.

The proportion of mothers who received early prenatal care in 2000 varied by Hispanic ethnicity.  Mothers of Cuban descent were the most likely to receive prenatal care in the first trimester (91.7 percent), followed by Puerto Rican mothers (78.5 percent), Central/South American mothers (77.6 percent), and Mexican mothers (72.9 percent).