Factors associated with first antenatal care (ANC) attendance within 12 weeks of pregnancy among women in Lira City, Northern Uganda: a facility-based cross-sectional study

Abstract

ObjectiveThis study aimed at assessing factors associated with first antenatal care (ANC) attendance within 12 weeks of pregnancy among women in Lira City.DesignA cross-sectional study.SettingsThe study was conducted in health facilities offering ANC services in Lira City, Northern Uganda.ParticipantsThe study was among 368 pregnant mothers attending their first ANC in the three selected facilities (Lira Regional Referral Hospital, Ober Health Center IV and Pentecostal Assembly of God Mission Health Center IV) in Lira City.Primary and secondary outcome measuresLevel of first ANC attendance within 12 weeks of pregnancy and associated factors.ResultsEarly ANC attendance was 36.1%. Women who were: unmarried (adjusted OR (aOR): 0.40, 95% CI: 0.16 to 0.99), took >2 hours to reach a health facility (aOR: 0.21, 95% CI: 0.07 to 0.62), or not visited by village health teams or healthcare workers at home (aOR: 0.33, 95% CI: 0.12 to 0.92) were less likely to attend their first ANC early. On the other hand, women who were: not knowing first that ANC guides parents on infant care (aOR: 2.22, 95% CI: 1.06 to 4.67); pregnant without consent of spouse (aOR: 4.29, 95% CI: 1.75 to 10.55); attending ANC from a private facility (aOR: 2.89, 95% CI: 1.27 to 6.15); and having two to three healthcare workers present at the ANC clinic (aOR: 1.79, 95% CI: 1.03 to 3.13) were more likely to attend ANC early.ConclusionsDespite the fact that the WHO recommends that all women begin ANC within 12 weeks after conception, Lira City in Northern Uganda had a low overall incidence of timely ANC initiation. Being unmarried, distance to reach a health facility, and being visited by village health teams or healthcare workers at home were all linked to timely ANC commencement. As a result, intervention efforts should concentrate on the highlighted determinants in order to promote ANC initiation in Lira City, Northern Uganda. This can be accomplished by providing information and education to the community on the timing and necessity of ANC in Northern Uganda.

Determinants of Early Antenatal Care Booking among Pregnant Women attending Embu Teaching and Referral Hospital, Kenya: A Cross-sectional Survey

“…Adjusted odds ratio showed that the likelihood of early initiation of ANC was four times higher in married women compared to unmarried ones. This finding concurs with a study other studies that have established that unmarried women were unlikely to start ANC early (14,15,18,19). This may be due to the support that married women get from their partners unlike the unmarried who may hide their pregnancy because of fear of embarrassment (18,22) This study determined that woman's occupation determine ANC booking.…”

“…This may be due to women's lack of awareness regarding the importance of early initiation of ANC and the attitude that the woman will make numerous visit before delivery if ANC is started early. The proportion of the women who stated ANC within the recommended period in this study was slightly higher that in several other studies (12,19,20), but similar to a finding by Acup et al (15) In this study, maternal age was found to be associated with early initiation of ANC. Women aged 20-24 years are five times more likely to book ANC early compared to other age groups.…”

“…A systematic review by Moller et al established that only 24.9% of pregnant women in SSA start their antenatal care within 12week gestation, compared with 64.3% globally (14). In East Africa countries, more than half of pregnant women seek antenatal care after 12week gestation (15). In Kenya, only about 20.7% of pregnant women adhere to the recommendation of initiating antenatal care in the first trimester (12).…”

Survival analysis of early intention of antenatal care among women in Bangladesh

“…A recent study conducted in Papua New Guinea revealed the prevalence of early ANC intention is 23% 10 . According to studies done in Uganda, the proportion of early ANC visit was 36% 11 . Likewise, another study conducted in Northwest Ethiopia reported that 52% of women booked their first ANC visit after 4 months of pregnancy 12 .…”