Impact of antenatal care on pregnancy outcomes: A cross-sectional study in a rural community in Malaysia

Abstract

Background: Malaysia has a high standard of health-care system, including antenatal care (ANC) services. Objective: This cross-sectional study was carried out to assess the impact of regular ANC visits on outcome in a rural community in Malaysia from September to November, 2019, in village Kampung Merbok in Kedah, Malaysia. Method and Materials: A pretested semi-structured questionnaire was used as a tool for data collection among the women who gave birth in public or private health-care centers. Association between the various components of ANC and pregnancy outcome was examined using multivariate logistic regression analysis, and Chi-square test/Fisher's exact test was used to interpret the association between the ANC visits and the outcome variables. Result: Among the respondents, 39 (78%) had more than four ANC visits. Fourteen (28%) respondents had adverse pregnancy outcome. All nonattendees had adverse outcome. Only 6 (12%) women (95% confidence interval: 3.22, 20.78) had a history of cesarean section. This study found statistically significant association between maternal ANC visits and maternal and neonatal outcome variables (P < 0.05). Pearson's correlation test also revealed the strong relationship between ANC and the outcome variables (P < 0.0001). Conclusion: In this study, mothers having regular ANC visits experienced better pregnancy outcome compared to those nonattendees. Nevertheless, it is necessary to adhere to a minimum level of four ANC visits for all pregnant women. More health promotion programs are required focusing on improving women's awareness of the necessity of ANC throughout their pregnancy.