"No visible signs of pregnancy, no sickness, no antenatal care": Initiation of antenatal care in a rural district in Northern Ghana.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Attending antenatal care (ANC) early contribute to better birth outcomes. Studies have shown that many pregnant women in Sub-Saharan Africa do not initiate ANC early (i.e. in the first trimester). This study determined the gestational age of pregnancy at first ANC attendance. It also explored factors that influence initiation of ANC.

Methods

This cross-sectional study, conducted in Ghana, used mixed methods to collect data from women aged 15-45 years who delivered 6 months prior to the study. Crosstabs, chi-square test and logistic regression were used to analyse quantitative data. Also, 33 participants were engaged in focus group discussions (FGDs). Thematic content analysis was used to develop themes from the data.

Results

Of the 431 participants, 8.9, 8,

SUBMITTER: Kotoh AM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6693094 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature