Assessment Pregnant Women's practices about antenatal care during Pregnancy at Primary Health Care Centers in Kirkuk City, Iraq

Abstract

Background: Antenatal care (ANC) is done to prepare a pregnant woman for birth and motherhood as well as prevent, detect, alleviate, or manage the three types of health problems during pregnancy that affect mothers and babies. These health problems include i) complication of pregnancy itself, ii) preexisting conditions that worsen during pregnancy, iii) effects of unhealthy life style. The aim of current study was to evaluate pregnant women's practices about antenatal care during pregnancy in primary health care centers in Kirkuk City after implementation of a program. Methods: A quasi-experimental design was used in the present study with the application of a pre-test/ post-test approach for assessment of study group. The study was conducted between 2/12/2018 to 6/10/2019. Non-probability (purposive) sampling method was adopted to select 100 subjects, 50 study group and 50 control group, from pregnant women in first trimester who visited Primary Health Care Centers in Kirkuk City. Results: The results showed the distribution of studied socio-demographical characteristics variables where high number of subjects in study group with age 25-29 years (36%), level of education was Institute and college graduate (30%), Occupation was Housewife (66%), Monthly Income was (58%), Residential Area was urban (78%), with Smoking Status was nonsmoking (72%). The results also showed age at marriage was 20-24 years, 42 % of study group period were married while 38% of control group. Also, both groups showed the highest percentages (68% and 88%, respectively, were menstruation, number of pregnancies for both groups (52% and 54%), and (88%, 92%) for both group were from number of abortion. Regarding the para number of babies were both group (48%, 56%), respectively, while type of delivery for both groups same percentage (56%). Heredity diseases, study and control group (86%, 98%), while health problems same percentage of both group (78%). The results showed that there were no significant differences at P>0.05 accounted between study and control groups regarding all items related to practices of ANC.