Abstract

Determinants of Antenatal Care Services Utilization among Pregnant Women Attending at Edward Michaud Memorial Hospital Kinondoni- Tanzania

Introduction: Health care services which a woman receives during pregnancy are important for her survival and the baby both during delivery and shortly after delivery. In the global context of high maternal morbidity and mortality, receiving effective antenatal care services help to prevent maternal and neonatal deaths which are preventable. Objective: To examine the determinants of antenatal care services utilization in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Methods: A quantitative case study was carried out and 164 women were randomly selected among the pregnant women who were attending Edward Michaud Memorial Hospital for ANC services. A questionnaire was used to collect data. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regressions were done by using SPSS to identify the association between the independent and dependent variables. Results: The results indicate that gender of head of household, marital status, insurance cover, and education were associated with utilization of ANC services and there were no significant associations with age, occupation, transport cost, distance, and parity. Conclusion: Awareness in communities should be raised on the importance of ANC utilization and ensuring the physical, information and financial accessibility of the ANC services will increase the utilization rate of services and hence avoid adverse pregnancy outcomes.

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