Trend and barriers of antenatal care utilization from 2000 to 2016 Ethiopian DHS: A data mining approach

Are Ethiopian women getting the recommended maternal health services? The analysis of Ethiopian mini Demographic and Health Survey 2019

Background and Aims

Health services during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postnatal period play a pivotal role in the survival of both the mother and the baby. We, therefore, analyzed maternal health service utilization and the related drivers among women of childbearing age in Ethiopia.

Methods

We used secondary data from the 2019 Ethiopian mini Demographic and Health Survey. The survey was conducted in 11 regions, and 2 city administrations, in Ethiopia from March 21 to June 28, 2019. Maternal health service utilization was measured in terms of three dimensions including antenatal care (ANC), skilled delivery service, and postnatal care (PNC). Bi-variable and multivariable logistic regression was used. We then fitted three separate models. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 25; all analysis was adjusted for cluster and sample weight.

Results

A total of 2923, 3924, and 1899 women were included for ANC, delivery, and PNC utilization, respectively. The majority of 1802 (61.7%) women had a "good" antenatal care utilization, and it was explained by the level of maternal education, marital status, and wealth index. Nearly half, of 1899 (48.1%) of the women gave birth in a health facility, and it was associated with age, educational status, wealth index, the timing of first antenatal care, and the number of antenatal care contact. Finally, one third (33.7%) of them had adequate PNC utilization and it was associated with households having a television, the timing of first antenatal care, and the number of antenatal care contacts.

Conclusion

Despite the due emphasis on maternal health services by the Ethiopian government, the uptake of services is not optimal. Women empowerment and timely and adequate ANC contacts will prepare women for better uptake of services.

The unfinished agenda and inequality gaps in antenatal care coverage in Ethiopia

BACKGROUND

Antenatal care is an essential platform to provide all the necessary health interventions during pregnancy that aim to reduce maternal and newborn morbidity and mortality. Although the antenatal care coverage has been increasing in Ethiopia in the last two decades, the country has not been able to meet its own coverage target to date. Most pregnant women who initiated antenatal care also do not complete the full recommended follow up contacts. This study investigated the trend in coverage and the inequalities related to the use of antenatal care in Ethiopia.

METHODS

This study utilized data from five rounds of Demographic and Health Surveys (DHSs) conducted in Ethiopia in the period between 2000 and 2019. The DHS respondents were women in the age group 15-49 who had a live birth within the five years preceding the surveys. The outcome of interest for this study was antenatal care utilization coverage. We used concentration curve and concentration index to identify the inequalities using the World Health Organization recommended Health Equity Analysis Toolkit software. We did a regression analysis to identify the drivers of urban-rural inequalities.

RESULT

The coverage trend for both initiating Antenatal care and completing the recommended four antenatal contacts showed a steady increase during 2000-2019. However, the coverages have not yet reached the national target and unlikely to meet targets by 2025. Although the economically better-off, urban and educated mother still have a better coverage, the inequality gaps within the wealth, residence and education categories generally showed significant reduction. Women in the lowest wealth quantile, those who were uneducated and those living in rural areas remained disadvantaged. Household economic status and maternal education was the stronger drivers of urban-rural inequalities.

CONCLUSION

The Antenatal care coverage is lagging below the country's target. Despite narrowing inequality gaps women from poor households, who are uneducated and residing in rural areas are still less likely to fully attend the recommended number of antenatal care contacts. Addressing these inequalities through a multisectoral efforts is critical to increase the chances of achieving the national antenatal care coverage targets in Ethiopia.

Correlates of antenatal care utilization among women of reproductive age in sub-Saharan Africa: evidence from multinomial analysis of demographic and health surveys (2010-2018) from 31 countries

Background

Despite a global reduction of about 38% in maternal mortality rate between 2000 and 2017, sub-Saharan Africa is still experiencing high mortality among women. Access to high quality care before, during and after childbirth has been described as one of the effective means of reducing such mortality. In the sub-region, only 52% of women receive at least four antenatal visits. This study examined the factors influencing antenatal care utilization in sub-Saharan Africa.

Methods

Data from Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) of 31 countries involving 235,207 women age 15–49 years who had given birth to children within 5 years of the surveys were used in the study. Multinomial logistic regression model was applied in the analysis.

Results

About 13% of women in sub-Saharan Africa did not utilize antenatal care while 35 and 53% respectively partially and adequately utilized the service. Adequate utilization of antenatal care was highest among women age 25–34 years (53.9%), with secondary or higher education (71.3%) and from the richest households (54.4%). The odds of adequate antenatal care utilization increased for women who are educated up to secondary or higher education level, from richest households, working, living in urban areas, exposed to media and did not experience problem getting to health facility or obtaining permission to visit health facility.

Conclusions

This study has revealed information not only on women who did not utilize antenatal care but also on women who partially and adequately utilized the service. The study concluded that the correlates of antenatal care utilization in sub-Saharan Africa include socioeconomic and demographic factors, getting permission to visit health facility, unwillingness to visit health facility alone and problem encountered in reaching the health facility.

Women's Empowerment as a Mitigating Factor for Improved Antenatal Care Quality despite Impact of 2014 Ebola Outbreak in Guinea

Improving maternal outcomes and reducing pregnancy morbidity and mortality are critical public health goals. The provision of quality antenatal care (ANC) is one method of doing so. Increasing women’s empowerment is associated with positive women’s health outcomes, including the adequate timing and amount of ANC use. However, little is known about the relationship between women’s empowerment and quality ANC care. Despite a history of political instability, low women’s equality and poor maternal health, the Republic of Guinea has committed to improving the status of women and access to health. However, the 2014 Ebola outbreak may have had a negative impact on achieving these goals. This study sought to examine factors in the relationship between women’s empowerment and the receipt of quality ANC (indicated by the number of health components) within the context of the Ebola outbreak. This study conducted multiple logistic regressions examining associations between covariates and the number of ANC components received using data from the 2012 and 2018 Guinea Demographic Health Surveys. Several aspects of women’s empowerment (healthcare decision-making, literacy/access to magazines, monogamous relationship status, contraceptive use, socio-economic status/employment) were significantly linked with the receipt of a greater number of ANC components, highlighting the importance of women’s empowerment in accessing quality maternity care.

Trends and factors associated with the utilisation of antenatal care services during the Millennium Development Goals era in Tanzania

Background

A detailed understanding of trends, as well as what act as enablers and/or barriers to the utilisation of antenatal care (ANC) among Tanzanian women, is essential to policymakers and health practitioners to guide maternal health efforts. We investigated the trends and factors associated with ANC service use during the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) era in Tanzania between 1999 and 2016.

Methods

The study used the Tanzania Demographic and Health Survey (TDHS) data for the years 1999 (n = 2095), 2004–2005 (n = 5576), 2010 (n = 6903) and 2015–2016 (n = 5392). Multivariate multinomial logistic regression models were used to investigate the association between predisposing, enabling, need and community-level factors and frequency of ANC (1–3 and ≥ 4) visits in Tanzania.

Results

The proportion of women who made one to three ANC visits improved significantly from 26.4% in 1999 to 47.0% in 2016. The percentage of women who make four or more ANC visits declined from 71.1% in 1999 to 51.0% in 2016. Higher maternal education, belonging to wealthier households, being informally employed and listening to the radio were associated with four or more ANC visits. Women who did not desire pregnancy had a lower likelihood to attend four or more ANC visits. Women who had primary or higher education, those who resided in wealthier households and those who were informally employed were more likely to make between one and three ANC visits.

Conclusion

The study showed that there was an improvement in the proportion of Tanzanian women who made one to three ANC visits, but it also indicated a concurrent decrease in the prevalence of four or more ANC visits. Improving uptake of ANC among Tanzanian women is achievable if national health policies and programmes also focus on key amenable maternal factors of education, household wealth and employment.