SOCIO-CULTURAL DRIVERS OF ANTE NATAL CARE ATTENDANCE IN THE SAVANNAH REGION OF GHANA

Abstract

One of the major concerns of governments in low-income economies is the reduction of maternal morbidity and mortality. Antenatal care attendance is seen as an avenue where pregnant women are provided with pregnancy information, treat existing social and medical conditions and screen for risk factors associated with pregnancy. The objective of this study was to assess the socio-cultural drivers of antenatal care attendance and the associated low skilled delivery. The study employed a cross-sectional design using a mixed method approach. A multistage sampling technique was used to select five communities. In all, 85 respondents were selected from these communities for the study. Majority of the respondents were more than 31 years. More than half of them were married, and all the respondents had attended antenatal clinics within the period they were pregnant. Two important factors were identified as drivers of antenatal care; the good attitude of healthcare providers and foodstuff given to pregnant women at the antenatal clinics. The study showed that husbands had a major say in antenatal attendance. Drivers of the place of delivery were the availability and proximity of Traditional Birth Attendants in the communities, even though the decision to deliver at home was claimed to be the decision of women. A significant relationship was established between age and antennal attendance. The finding reveals the role of socio-cultural factors in antenatal attendance and skilled delivery. More sensitization is therefore needed if Ghana is to attain the Sustainable Development Goal 3. Keywords: Socio-Cultural Factors, Antenatal Care, Pregnancy