Abstract
This study investigated the patterns of antenatal care (ANC) utilization and insufficient use of ANC as well as its association with some proximate socio-demographic factors. This was a cross-sectional study using pooled data Nigeria Demographic and Health Surveys from years 2008, 2013 and 2018. Participants were 52,654 women of reproductive age who reported at least one birth in the five years preceding the surveys. The outcome variables were late attendance, first contact after first trimester and less than four antenatal visits using multivariable logistic regression analysis. The overall prevalence of late timing was 74.8% and that of insufficient ANC visits was 46.7%. In the multivariable regression analysis; type of residency, geo-political region, educational level, household size, use of contraceptives, distance to health service, exposure to the media and total number of children were found to be significantly associated with both late and insufficient ANC attendance. About half of the pregnant women failed to meet the recommendation of four ANC visits. Investing on programs to improve women’s socio-economic status, addressing the inequities between urban and rural areas of Nigeria in regard to service utilization, and controlling higher fertility rates may facilitate the promotion of ANC service utilization in Nigeria.
Highlights
Despite several efforts by governmental and non-governmental agencies to reduce maternal mortality, maternal deaths remain high globally, in low and middle-income countries (LMIC)
About 830 women die from pregnancy or childbirth-related complications every day, and out of the estimated 303,000 maternal deaths in 2015, about 99 percent occurred in LMIC [1]
Data for this study were derived from three rounds of demographic and health surveys (DHS)
Summary
Despite several efforts by governmental and non-governmental agencies to reduce maternal mortality, maternal deaths remain high globally, in low and middle-income countries (LMIC). About 830 women die from pregnancy or childbirth-related complications every day, and out of the estimated 303,000 maternal deaths in 2015, about 99 percent occurred in LMIC [1]. Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest mortality or morbidity due to reproductive ill-health among pregnant women [2]. The estimated maternal mortality ratio (MMR) in sub-Saharan Africa in 2015 was 547 per 100,000 live births [1]. With an estimated MMR of 814 per 100,000 live births, Nigeria remains. Res. Public Health 2020, 17, 8261; doi:10.3390/ijerph17218261 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph
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