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Factors associated with the number and timing of antenatal care visits among married women in Cameroon: evidence from the 2018 Cameroon Demographic and Health Survey

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 February 2021

Bright Opoku Ahinkorah ,
Abdul-Aziz Seidu Open the ORCID record for Abdul-Aziz Seidu [Opens in a new window] ,
Eugene Budu ,
Aliu Mohammed ,
Collins Adu ,
Ebenezer Agbaglo ,
Edward Kwabena Ameyaw  and
Sanni Yaya Open the ORCID record for Sanni Yaya [Opens in a new window]
Bright Opoku Ahinkorah
Affiliation:
School of Public Health, Faculty of Health, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, Australia
Abdul-Aziz Seidu
Affiliation:
Department of Population and Health, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana College of Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Services, James Cook University, Australia
Eugene Budu
Affiliation:
Department of Population and Health, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana
Aliu Mohammed
Affiliation:
Department of Health, Physical Education and Recreation, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana
Collins Adu
Affiliation:
Department of Health Promotion, Education and Disability Studies, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
Ebenezer Agbaglo
Affiliation:
Department of English, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana
Edward Kwabena Ameyaw
Affiliation:
School of Public Health, Faculty of Health, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, Australia
Sanni Yaya*
Affiliation:
School of International Development and Global Studies, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada The George Institute for Global Health, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
*
*Corresponding author. Email: sanni.yaya@uOttawa.ca
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Abstract

Utilization of antenatal care (ANC) services, as part of reproductive health care, presents a lifesaving chance for health promotion and the early diagnosis and treatment of illnesses throughout pregnancy. This study examines the factors associated with the number and timing of ANC visits among married women in Cameroon using data from the 2018 Cameroon Demographic and Health Survey. The outcome variables were number of ANC visits, categorized as <8 visits or ≥8 visits, and the timing of first ANC visit, categorized as ≤3 months (early) or >3 months (late) (as per the new 2016 WHO recommendations). Descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression were used to analyse the data. Crude odds ratios (cOR) and adjusted odds ratios (aOR) and p-values with significance at <0.05 were used to interpret the results. The proportions of women who had ≥8 ANC visits and first ANC visit at ≤3 months gestation were 6.3% and 35.6% respectively. Women aged 35–39 at childbirth (aOR=3.99, 95% CI=1.30–12.23), middle wealth quintile women (aOR=3.22, 95% CI=1.01–10.27), women whose husbands had secondary (aOR=7.00, 95% CI=2.26–21.71) or higher (aOR=16.93, 95% CI=4.91–58.34) education were more likely to have ≥8 ANC visits. Early timing of first ANC visit was low among women with birth order 3–4 (aOR=0.63, 95% CI=0.46–0.85). Conversely, the likelihood of having early ANC visits was high among women whose pregnancies were intended (aOR=1.32, 95% CI=1.01–1.74), the richest women (aOR=3.89, 95% CI=2.30–6.57) and women whose husbands had secondary (aOR=2.41, 95% CI=1.70–3.64) or higher (aOR=3.12, 95% CI=2.40–7.46) education. The study highlights that age at childbirth, wealth, husband’s educational attainment, birth order and pregnancy intention could influence the utilization of ANC services among married women in Cameroon. Hence, to improve attendance and early initiation of ANC, interventions should be targeted at empowering women financially and removing all financial barriers associated with accessing ANC, improving ANC education among women and encouraging male involvement in ANC education.

Keywords

CameroonNumber of antenatal careTiming of antenatal care
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Biosocial Science , Volume 54 , Issue 2 , March 2022 , pp. 322 - 332
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press

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