Socio-demographic determinants of full antenatal care services utilization among pregnant women delivering at a tertiary care hospital in Haryana

Abstract

Introduction: In India, every year 28 million pregnancies take place of which 67,000 die due to maternal causes and one million women are left with chronic illnesses. Antenatal care is an important determinant of maternal and perinatal mortality. In India, full antenatal care utilization is only 21% (NFHS-4), which is far below the satisfactory level. Aim & Objectives: To find out the socio-demographic factors affecting the utilization of full antenatal care services among recently delivered women. Material & Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out from Feb 2017-Feb 2018 among 500 pregnant females who recently delivered at PGIMS Rohtak. An interview schedule was used for data collection & data were analyzed using SPSS vs 20.0 and appropriate statistical tests were applied. Results: Out of 500 subjects-70.4% belonged to rural areas, 97.4% were Hindus, 81.4% were literate, 77.2% were unemployed & only 26.4% belonged to below poverty line. Majority (97%) of participants underwent ANC checkup, 75% got themselves registered in first trimester, 92.2% of study subjects received 2 doses of TT/ booster. 49.9% of study subjects had 4-7 ANC visits, 38.2% of study subjects consumed more than 100 IFA tablets. 61% of study subjects did not receive full ANC. Significant (p< 0.05) association was found between mother's education & full ANC utilization. Conclusion: Women and their family members need to be educated about the utilization of ANC services and their role in pregnancy.