Factors affecting the use of Antenatal Care Services among Mothers in an Urban Slum of Ghana

Abstract

ABSTRACT

Background. Globally, the number of people in slum communities would be two billion by 2030. Slum population, which is increasing at an alarming rate in Ghana, are often neglected, characterized by poverty, overcrowding and high prevalence of communicable diseases. However, studies conducted in slum communities on antenatal care are limited and inconsistent in related findings hence the need for this study to identify the factors affecting its utilization in an urban slum of Ghana.

Methods. A community based cross-sectional research was conducted using a structured questionnaire adopted from various similar studies conducted previously to collect data from our respondents. A pilot study on a sample of 15 mothers was conducted to assure consistency, data quality and smooth administering of the questionnaire. Systematic random sampling technique was employed to select the intended study subjects from a sample of 291 mothers. Data cleaning was done using (SPSS v21) and logistic regression model computed to examined the predictors of ANC utilization.

Results. Of the 291sampled mothers, 289 representing 99.3% was used for the analysis. The mean age of the respondents was (28.85+ 5.57). The study revealed that 94% of the women used antenatal service during their last pregnancy. Sixty four percent 64% visited health facilities in their first trimester. One fifth 20.5% of the respondents delivered their last baby at TBA centres with use of ANC been significantly associated (P-value<0.05). Husband’s educational background (OR=3.349, CI= 1.329-8.442, P=0.010), number of living children (OR=5.297, CI= 1.483-18.928, P=0.01) and age at first pregnancy (OR=2.474, CI= 1.110-5.517, P=0.027).

Conclusion. This study provides a better understanding of antenatal care and its associated factors among women in a slum community of Ghana. Although utilization of antenatal services was relatively high, several challenges still remain. The variation in timing and number of antenatal visits points to the limitation of national policy on antenatal care. Therefore, the need for a concerted effort involving stakeholders to address the challenges of antenatal care in the growing slums of Ghana. Raising community awareness and sensitization on antenatal care will lead to society empowerment to take responsibility on their health.