Association between gestational weight and inadequate antenatal care visits among third trimester low-income women: A cross-sectional study in Bangladesh

Abstract

Objective: Inadequate number of antenatal care (ANC) visits is very common among low-income pregnant women. The study identifies the associated factors for the poor number of ANC visits among the low-income third-trimester women. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted taking interview of 263 women who were in third-trimester living in a slum area of Bangladesh. We collected information on ANC visits along with socio-demographic and pregnancy-related factors of the subjects. The adequate number of ANC visits is modeled by a multivariate logistic regression model after adjusting the socio-demographic and pregnancy related factors. Results: The study revealed from the multivariate logistic model a positive association between the adequate number of ANC visits and gestational weight (odds ratios of overweight/obese versus normal: 2.108, p = 0.014). Hence, the overweight or obese women were 2.108 times more likely to have the adequate number of ANC visits compared to the normal-weight women. The age ( 30 years) and poor income (< 10000 taka) are also found negatively associated with the adequate number of ANC visits. Conclusion: There is a significant positive association exists between the gestational weight at third-trimester and the adequate number of ANC visits. The inadequate ANC visits for the third-trimester women in the slum regions highlight the need for attendance among poor, young and illiterate women.