BACKGROUND The aim of the newly introduced "focused Antenatal Care (ANC)" is not only to achieve a minimum number of 4 visits, but also the timeliness of the commencement of the visits as well as the quality and relevance of services offered during the visits. This study is therefore designed to assess the quality of ANC services in Nigeria. METHODS We used information supplied by the 13410 r...

BACKGROUND Good quality antenatal care (ANC) reduces maternal and neonatal mortality and improves health outcomes, particularly in low-income countries. Quality of ANC is measured by three dimensions: number of visits, timing of initiation of care and inclusion of all recommended components of care. Although some studies report on predictors of the first two indicators, no studies on the third ...

There is a known high disparity in access to perinatal care services between urban and rural areas in Tanzania. This study analysed repeated cross-sectional (RCS) data from Tanzania to explore the relationship between antenatal care (ANC) visits, facility-based delivery and the reasons for home births in women who had made ANC visits. We used data from RCS Demographic and Health Surveys spannin...

BACKGROUND In Rwanda, a majority of pregnant women visit antenatal care (ANC) services, however not to the extent that is recommended. Association between socio-demographic or psychosocial factors and poor utilization of antenatal care services (≤2 visits during the course of pregnancy irrespective of the timing) among recently pregnant women in Rwanda were investigated. METHODS This populati...

Half a million women die annually from pregnancy related causes. In Kenya, maternal mortality ratio (MMR) remains high in spite of great efforts to improve maternal health care. We studied some factors linked to maternity in a rural community setting. A survey was conducted in the community living in Madiany division of Siaya County, Kenya. We randomly sampled 403 mothers of children under thre...

OBJECTIVES We examine the individual- and community-level factors associated with the utilization of antenatal care, following the adoption of the focused antenatal care (FANC) approach in Zambia. METHODS Using the 2007 Zambia Demographic and Health Survey, linked with administrative and health facility census data, we specify two multilevel logistic models to assess the factors associated wi...

BACKGROUND Antenatal care (ANC) is a preventive public health intervention to ensure healthy pregnancy outcomes and improve survival and health of newborns. In South Sudan, about 40% of pregnant women use ANC, however, the frequency of the ANC checks falls short of the recommended four visits. Hence, this study examined potential risk factors associated with non-use of ANC in South Sudan. MET...

BACKGROUND Antenatal care (ANC) is one of the core interventions for improving maternal outcomes. The average annual decline of maternal mortality rate from 1990 to 2013 was 5% in Ethiopia. This figure was below the least expected 5.5% to achieve the targeted 75% by 1990-2015. Moreover, completion of the recommended four or more ANC visits was only 32%. This study was aimed to examine individua...

OBJECTIVE Attendance of at least four antenatal care (ANC) visits over the period of pregnancy has been accepted by World Health Organization to comprise the optimal and adequate standard of ANC because of its positive association with good maternal and neonatal outcomes during the prenatal period. Despite free ANC being provided, many pregnant women have been found not to meet this minimum num...

BACKGROUND Antenatal care (ANC) is critical for improving maternal and newborn health. WHO recommends that pregnant women complete at least four ANC visits. Countdown and other global monitoring efforts track the proportions of women who receive one or more visits by a skilled provider (ANC1+) and four or more visits by any provider (ANC4+). This study investigates patterns of drop-off in use b...