Timing of first antenatal care attendance and associated factors among pregnant women at public Health Facilities of Hawassa City, Sidama, Ethiopia

Author(s):

Selamawit Kebede, Sisay Tesfaye, Bereket Hegeno, Amanuel Ayele and Teshale Belayneh*

Background: Timely initiation of antenatal care can reduce pregnancy related problems and save the lives of mothers and babies. The African region has large intraregional disparities in terms of coverage of basic maternal health interventions like antenatal care. This study was aimed at assessing the timing of first antenatal care and associated factors among pregnant women who attend antenatal care clinics at public health centers in Hawassa city. Methods: An institution-based cross-sectional study was carried out in Hawassa city public health centers from September 1 to 30, 2022. A total of 235 randomly selected mothers who attend at ANC clinic were included in the study. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect the data. Descriptive statistics was used to summarize the data. A logistic regression model was used to analyze the data using statistical package for social sciences version 26. An adjusted odds ratio with a 95% confidence interval and a corresponding p-value <0.05 was used to determine factors associated with the outcome variable. Result: Among the respondents, 173 (73.6%) initiated their first antennal care after 16 weeks of gestation, and 62 (26.4%) initiated it before 16 weeks of gestation. Having no information about ANC service (AOR=0.06, 95% CI: 0.01, 0.58, (late previous first antenatal care attendance (AOR=0.037, 95% CI: 0.01, 0.11), and unplanned pregnancy (AOR=0.07, 95% CI: 0.01, 0.39) were significantly associated with late antenatal care. Conclusion: The prevalence of late first antenatal care was high in the study area. We have identified different factors affecting the late antenatal care visit. Interventions should focus on reducing those risk factors.