Compliance with focussed antenatal care among pregnant women in Dowa district, Malawi
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Date
2017-02-01
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Abstract
Antenatal care has for a long time been regarded as a crucial basic component of any
reproductive health program. The World Health Organisation introduced Focused Antenatal Care, a model which recommends initiation of Antenatal Care visits as soon as the woman realises that she has missed her monthly period and make four targeted visits throughout the pregnancy period. Despite its significance, pregnant women persistently underutilise the Focused Antenatal Care model which has proven to be effective especially in developing countries like Malawi. Therefore, a study was conducted aimed at examining pregnant women’s compliance with the Focused Antenatal Care model in Dowa District, Malawi. A descriptive cross-sectional study using a structured questionnaire was used in selected health facilities of Dowa and Mponela. A total of 386 pregnant women were recruited using simple random sampling method. Data from the completed questionnaires were entered using CSPro version 6.0 and analysed using STATA. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression were the two statistical tests employed in this study. Responses from open ended questions were manually grouped, coded and frequencies were run to come up with percentages under each response. The results showed a high prevalence of late antenatal care attendance, 71.2%, and those making fewer than four antenatal visits were at 67.2%. Factors associated with non compliance included; lack of adequate knowledge, denial of being pregnant (OR 2.1, 95% CI
0.62, 7.11), cost of starting antenatal care (OR 1.6, 95% CI 0.38,0.68), long distance to health facility (OR 1.5, 95% CI 0.80, 2.84), value attached to Focused Antenatal Care (OR 7.5, 95% CI 0.73, 7.77), in adequate health workers (OR 1.13, 95% CI 0.69, 1.87) and having age above 35 years (OR 1.38, 95% CI 0.66, 2.85). There is high prevalence of non compliance with Focused Antenatal Care among pregnant women in Dowa District. Health education should be intensified to raise awareness. Outreach clinics should be revitalised to make the service accessible.