BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES Despite various efforts by the Government of India, utilization of antenatal care (ANC) services continues to be low among women from rural areas particularly those belonging to the Scheduled Tribes. The present study was undertaken to examine the factors associated with the utilization of ANC services among women in four States including Rajasthan, Odisha, Chhattisgarh ...

BACKGROUND Improving the utilization rate of antenatal care is a critical strategy for achieving the reproductive health goals in Iran. The aim of this study was to assess the utilization rate of antenatal care (ANC) by women after health sector reform (HSR) interventions in rural areas of Islamic Republic of Iran (IR Iran). MATERIALS AND METHODS This is a retrospective cross-sectional study....

AIMS To assess pregnant women's opinions on and perceptions of oral health and their relationship to oral hygiene and dental care practices. METHODS Questionnaire survey on perceived oral health, oral hygiene and utilization of dental services among 649 nulliparae attending for antenatal care at all public antenatal clinics in Adelaide, South Australia. RESULTS Women rated their general hea...

BACKGROUND Afghanistan has made great strides in the coverage of health services across the country but coverage of key indicators remains low nationally and whether the poorest households are accessing these services is not well understood. METHODS We analyzed the Afghanistan Mortality Survey 2010 on utilization of inpatient and outpatient care, institutional delivery and antenatal care by w...

OBJECTIVES To identify, and compare relative importance of, factors associated with antenatal care (ANC) utilization in rural Balochistan, toward framing a policy to increase such utilization. METHODS This cross sectional study was conducted among 513 pregnant women in Jhal Magsi District, Balochistan, in 2011. A standardized interviewer-administered questionnaire was used. Predisposing, enab...

BACKGROUND In response to high maternal and perinatal morbidities and mortalities in Ethiopia, "Women's Health Development Army" was established to enhance utilization of skilled maternity services including antenatal care (ANC). However, its effect on skilled ANC service utilization is not well measured. Our study was aimed to assess skilled antenatal care service utilization and its associati...

BACKGROUND Understanding women's experiences and perspectives of antenatal care services is particularly critical for enhancing effectiveness of services delivery and addressing women's needs and expectations. As part of a comprehensive assessment of the maternity care services in Iraq, this study aimed to explore the views and experiences of antenatal care in a sample of women. METHODS This ...

INTRODUCTION Skilled birth attendance (SBA) and measles immunization reflect two aspects of a health system. In Kenya, their national coverage gaps are substantial but could be largely improved if the total population had the same coverage as the wealthiest quintile. A decomposition analysis allows identifying the factors that influence these wealth-related inequalities in order to develop appr...

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...

BACKGROUND Antenatal care is an important health service which detects and sometimes reduces the risk of complications among pregnant women. The quality of care is likely to influence effective utilization and compliance with interventions. OBJECTIVES This study evaluated clients' perception of antenatal care quality at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan and determined levels of cl...