Utilization of antenatal care services among teenagers in Ethiopia: A cross sectional study

Abstract

Abstract

Background: Teenaged women suffer from a disproportionate share of reproductive health problem. The purpose of this study was to estimate the utilization of antenatal care (ANC) services among teenagers (13-19 years) during delivery in Ethiopia.

Methodology: Raw data collected from all part of the country on child bearing aged women using stratified cluster sampling method by the Ethiopian Demographic Health Survey 2005 was used. From the large dataset of women, a total of 994 teenage women at the time of their most recent childbirth five years prior to the survey was selected and analyzed. Both bivariate and multivariate analyses were performed to determine the differentials of ANC by explanatory variables.

Result: Most (60%) of the subjects were in the age group between 18 and 19 years. The vast majority (90%) was from the rural settings and most (87%) were in marital union. Almost three out of four (72.4%) of those who had given birth has no any form of formal education. Over a quarter (27.3%) of most recent childbirths had at least one ANC service, of this, 21% had started their first antenatal visit in the first trimester of pregnancy. The majority (80.4%) of the women who attended ANC delivered at home without being assisted. The major deriving factors for the utilization of ANC service were education level of women and their male partners, better wealth index and urban residence.

Conclusion: Education of partners, rich wealth index and urban residence seemed to encourage teenagers to utilize ANC. Appropriate interventions targeting teenaged women with poor socioeconomic status is recommended with more emphasis on the rural underserved segment of population. [Ethiop. J. Health Dev. 2010;24(3):221-225]