Factors Influencing Utilization of Antenatal Care Services in Health Centres (III) in Gulu district.

Abstract

Introduction: The health status of pregnant women majorly depends on the quality of antenatal care services utilized by them. It is against this background that this study attempted to determine the factors influencing the utilization of antenatal care services in health centres III in Gulu District.

Methodology: A cross-sectional study employing both qualitative and quantitative methods was carried out. Questionnaires and face to face interviews were used as tools to collect data in the health centres III in Gulu district. Data was obtained from the ANC attendees.

Results: This study revealed that 92.3% of the pregnant women utilized antenatal care services in health centres III in Gulu district. 96.2% of the women pregnancies were intended and all the women who respond appreciated the importance of ANC. The following factors showed significant influence on the utilization of ANC; Age (X2= 14.720, P= 0.000), Religion (X2= 13.650, P= 0.002), Marital status (X2= 20.687, P= 0.000), educational status (X= 21.658, P= 0.000), Occupation (X2= 18.745, P= 0.045) and Residence (X2= 24.458, P= 0.012). Majority of the women did not attend ANC due to lack of transport (23.1%) and long distance to the health centres (21.2%).

Conclusions and recommendations: Though the rate of utilization of antenatal care services in health centre III in Gulu district is high, it losses meaning if the majority of the mothers who attend ANC did not receive adequate number of visits and initiated the visits later than recommended by the World Health Organization. In addition educational status, age, residence and occupation were major predictors of ANC service utilization. Therefore, I would suggest that more efforts should be put towards understanding these major predictors at community and individual level through behavioral change communication.