Use of prenatal contacts by pregnant women in the Republic of Congo

Abstract

Introduction: According to the WHO, antenatal contact increases the likelihood of a favourable pregnancy outcome by 87%. The aim of this study is to assess the use of antenatal contacts in the Congo. Methodology: This cross-sectional survey was conducted from September to December 2021 throughout the Republic of Congo. The data were analysed using R Studio© version 4.2 software. Quantitative variables were expressed as means and standard deviations and qualitative variables as frequency. The significance level was set at 5%. Results: Out of a total of 1,797 pregnant women and 64 health facilities, the average age of the women was 26 ± 6 years, and 94% of them had had at least one prenatal contact. For 75.5% of women, the first contact occurred more than 3 months earlier, and the number of prenatal contacts was four or more in 21.42% of cases. There was low coverage of Intermittent Preventive Treatment during pregnancy with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (IPT g-SP) and a lack of immunisation against neonatal and maternal tetanus (30.9% and 16.6% respectively). Of the 912 women surveyed to calculate coverage rates for Intermittent Preventive Treatment during pregnancy with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (IPT g-SP), 30.9% had good coverage. There are 16.6% of women not immunised against neonatal and maternal tetanus. The centres are geographically accessible to most of the women surveyed (74.7%). Of the 912 women surveyed to calculate coverage rates for Intermittent Preventive Treatment during pregnancy with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (IPT g-SP), 30.9% had good coverage. The proportion of women not immunised against neonatal and maternal tetanus was 16.6%. Of the 64 health facilities surveyed, public facilities accounted for 89.1%. The activity package consisted of curative consultations, antenatal care, iron and folic acid supplementation, all at a rate of 64%. These were followed by consultations, family planning (60%) and vaccination (60%). Prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) is provided at 53%. Conclusion: The rate of use of antenatal contacts remains high in the Congo, but the package of activities required to meet the health needs of pregnant women is inadequate and exposes them to the risk of maternal and foetal morbidity and mortality. There is therefore an urgent need to improve the completeness and quality of antenatal care in order to prevent maternal and foetal mortality.