Determinants Of Antenatal Care Utilization Among Women In Ghana

ABSTRACT. Antenatal care is the most important health input that can help reduce maternal mortality and child birth complications. Though it appears that most women are attending ANC, a lot of them are not completing the attendance. For ANC to function to contribute to saving of life, it must be completed. Completed ANC involves attending and utilizing ANC for a minimum of four times for uncomplicated pregnancies, so that subsequent visits may only be required upon detection of complication (WHO, 2010). The study examined the maternal characteristics that determine complete ANC attendance among women in Ghana. The general objective of the study was to examine the determinants of ANC utilization among women in Ghana. Data for the study was obtained from the 2008 Ghana Demographic Health Survey (GDHS) data set collected quinquenially by the Ghana Statistical Service, (GSS) and the Ghana Health Service (GHS) under the auspices of United States Agency for International Development (USAID), United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA) and United Nations International Children Emergency Fund (UNICEF) among others. The sample size was 2,909 women (15-49 years) who had given their recent birth within five years preceding the 2008 GDHS. The study employed descriptive techniques such as percentages, cross tabulations to establish associations between the dependent and independent variables using the Pearson‟s Chi-square. The binary logistic regression was used to determine the variables that were statistically significant in determining complete ANC utilization among the women. The findings indicate that maternal age, type of place of residence, parity, timing of first ANC and health insurance ownership were statistically significant determinants of complete ANC use among the women. Other variables like wealth quintile, religion and ethnicity also show some statistical relationship with ANC attendance. Three hypotheses were formulated. The first one was, “the higher the age of a woman, the less likely she is to seek complete ANC”. However, this hypothesis was rejected due to lack of sufficient statistical evidence. The second hypothesis was “primiparous women were more likely, than the multiparous to seek complete ANC.” This hypothesis was confirmed and accepted. Finally, the third hypothesis, “women covered by health insurance were more likely to seek complete ANC compared to those who were not” was also confirmed and accepted. It was recommended among other things that women seek ANC early and receive recommended number of visits to ensure desirable pregnancy outcomes.