Antenatal care service utilization among women who gave birth amid COVID-19 pandemic in Wollega Zone, West Ethiopia: Community based cross-sectional study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.69614/ejrh.v14i4.554Keywords:
Antenatal care, Maternal health, COVID-19, EthiopiaAbstract
Background: Starting from the day it was declared as an outbreak the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has been observed in almost all countries and costing the lives of hundreds of thousands. The counter effect of preventive measurements is believed to affect the health of many vulnerable populations including pregnant mothers. Hence, this study was aimed to assess antenatal care service utilization and associated factors among women who gave birth amid the pandemic in West Ethiopia.
Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was carried out in selected districts of West Ethiopia. A systematic random sampling technique was used to select the study participants. Epi data version 3.1 and Statistical Package for the Social Sciences window (SPSS) version 25.0 were used for data entry and analysis respectively. Both bivariable and multivariable logistic regression was done.
Results: A total of 827 participants were involved in the study with a response rate of 97.87 %. The prevalence of antenatal cares service utilization among mothers who gave birth during the pandemic was 54.4 % with 95% (51.0, 57.6). Age of mother, residence, occupation of mother, educational level of the mother, fear related to spreading of COVID-19 in the community, fear of being infected, following government guidelines, using a facemask, covering face and mouth when coughing, and level of practice towards covid-19 prevention measures had a statistically significant association with antenatal cares service utilization.
Conclusion: The finding of the study revealed that there is a low antenatal care service utilization during the pandemic. Hence, health care providers should strengthen the integration of messages on COVID-19 prevention measures and health education with pregnancy risk, family planning and postnatal care. It is also advisable to start technology-based services to avert the transportation and related problems.
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