Abstract
BackgroundAntenatal care has several benefits for expecting mothers and birth outcomes; yet many mothers do not utilise this service in Nepal. Mass media may play an important role in increasing the use of antenatal care and other maternal health services. However, the effect of mass media on increasing health service utilisation has remained an under studied area in Nepal. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of mass media on the utilisation of antenatal care services in rural Nepal.MethodsA community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in Sinurjoda Village Development Committee of Dhanusha District, Nepal. A total of 205 mothers of children aged under 1 year were selected using systematic random sampling. Logistic regression was employed to examine the association between selected antenatal care services and mass media exposure after adjusting for other independent variables.ResultsA majority of mothers were exposed to mass media. Radio was accessible to most (60.0 %) of the participants followed by television (43.41 %). Mothers exposed to mass media were more likely to attending antenatal visits [Odds ratio (OR) 6.28; 95 % CI (1.01–38.99)], taking rest and sleep during pregnancy [OR 2.65; 95 % CI (1.13–6.26)], and receiving TT immunization [OR 5.12; 95 % CI (1.23–21.24)] than their non-exposed counterparts.ConclusionsThe study reported a positive influence of mass media on the utilisation of antenatal care services in Nepal. Therefore, further emphasis should be given to increase awareness of women of rural Nepal through mass media to improve utilisation of antenatal care services in Nepal.
Highlights
Antenatal care has several benefits for expecting mothers and birth outcomes; yet many mothers do not utilise this service in Nepal
To increase Antenatal care (ANC) attendance, reaching mothers, their families and community opinion leaders is essential so that they understand the importance of ANC visits
This study aimed to examine the impact of mass media exposure to the ANC service utilisation
Summary
Antenatal care has several benefits for expecting mothers and birth outcomes; yet many mothers do not utilise this service in Nepal. Mass media may play an important role in increasing the use of antenatal care and other maternal health services. The effect of mass media on increasing health service utilisation has remained an under studied area in Nepal. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of mass media on the utilisation of antenatal care services in rural Nepal. Nepal has a high maternal mortality (229 per 100,000 live births) which is likely to be reduced with appropriate intervention [3]. Mass media has been shown to be an effective measure to reach mothers in a large scale and increase the use of maternal health services, especially in developing countries. Studies from India [11] and Uganda [12] has found positive effect of mass media on increasing ANC attendance
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
