Abstract
BackgroundAntenatal care service which is among strategies to maintain maternal and fetal wellbeing is strongly recommended to be initiated early during pregnancy. To developing world where there is uncommon practice of pre-pregnancy care and support, timely commencement is crucial in getting potential benefits from some of the elements of the care. Therefore, we sought to assess timing and factors associated with the first antenatal care booking among pregnant mothers attending antenatal care clinics in Gondar town health facilities; North West Ethiopia.MethodsHealth institution based cross-sectional study was conducted among pregnant mothers from April to June 2012 in Gondar town. A total of 407 pregnant mothers were interviewed at exit from antenatal clinic by using structured and pre-tested questionnaire. Bivariate and multivariate data analysis was performed using SPSS for Windows version 16.0.ResultThe study indicated that 35.4% of mothers started antenatal care timely (in the first trimester of pregnancy). The mean time was 4.5 months (17.7 weeks) of pregnancy. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that: [(AOR (95% CI)) maternal age ≤ 25 (1.85 (1.10, 3.09)), age at marriage ≥20 years (2.21 (1.33, 3.68)), pregnancy recognition by urine test (2.29 (1.42, 3.71)), mothers who perceived the right time to start antenatal care within first trimester (3.93 (2.29, 6.75)) and having decision power to use antenatal care (2.43 (1.18, 4.99))] were significantly associated with timely commencement to antenatal care.ConclusionTimely entry to antenatal care was low in the study area. In order to improve the situation, it is important to provide community based information, education and communication on antenatal care and its right time of commencement. In addition, empowering women and implementing the proclamation designed for the age at marriage is mandatory up to the local level.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/1471-2393-14-287) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Highlights
Antenatal care service which is among strategies to maintain maternal and fetal wellbeing is strongly recommended to be initiated early during pregnancy
Timely entry to antenatal care was low in the study area
This strong positive association between level of care obtained during pregnancy and the use of safe delivery care might help explain why antenatal care could be associated with reduced maternal mortality [4,5]
Summary
Antenatal care service which is among strategies to maintain maternal and fetal wellbeing is strongly recommended to be initiated early during pregnancy. While motherhood is often a positive and fulfilling experience; for many women it is associated with suffering, ill-health and even death. In Ethiopia, The antenatal period provides excellent opportunities to reach pregnant women with preventive and curative care. The higher the level of care obtained during pregnancy, the higher the use of safe delivery service will be This strong positive association between level of care obtained during pregnancy and the use of safe delivery care might help explain why antenatal care could be associated with reduced maternal mortality [4,5]
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