Analysis of Determinants of Late First Antenatal Care (ANC) Booking in Kasenengwa District, Eastern Province, Zambia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Antenatal care (ANC) is an important public health screening tool to promote better outcomes in pregnant women and their unborn children. Women who book for ANC early enjoy the benefits of early detection of any probable condition which can affect the pregnant woman or her fetus. The objective of the study was to analyse determinants of late First ANC booking among pregnant women in Kasenegwa district in the Eastern Province of Zambia. The study design was a cross-sectional focusing on first ANC women, which used a multi-stage sampling design to sample the health facilities included in the study. Purposive and simple random sampling methods were used to come up with the sample size of 225 pregnant women. Logistic regression was used to analyse the data using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 20. The prevalence of late ANC booking was 53% (107/118) in the study area. The binary logistic regression analysis revealed that maternal age (OR=1.7 p-value=<0.0001), Marital status (OR=7.6, 95% CI=2.801-21.020, p-value=<0.0001), Education (OR=6.9, p-value=0.030), Knowledge on the need to book early for ANC despite any noticeable complications (OR=7.964, 95% CI=2.308-27.486, p-value=0.001), decision making to book for ANC (OR=.111, 95%CI=.059-.208, p-value=.000), maternal gravida (OR=1.47, p-value=0.012), Parity (OR=1.65 p-value=0.024), unplanned pregnancy (OR=2.1, 95% CI=6.385-71.406 p-value=<0.0001), and staff attitude (OR=1.973, 95% CI=1.730-2.249, p-value=0.006) were found to be significant determinants. From the results, it can be deduced that Late ANC booking is high in Kasenengwa District and factors associated with this problem are maternal age, maternal marital status, maternal gravida/parity, spouse/husband nonsupport and pregnancy uncertainty.