Abstract:
Background: Maternal mortality is a great worry to most health financing groups and policy
makers in developed and developing countries. Comparatively, antenatal care utilisation has
been high in Ghana: pregnant women looking for antenatal care from a skilled provider,
increase debates that increasing care given to maternal health internationally has been focused
on reducing maternal mortality.
Objective: The main objective of the study was to assess factors that influence the utilisation
of antenatal care. The specific objectives were; to determine the patient, community and health
care provider factors that influence the utilisation of antenatal care at the Shukura Community
Hospital.
Methods: A descriptive cross sectional study was carried out and a total of 405 mothers were
selected by a systematic random sampling method who were interviewed by use of a pretested
interviewer’s administered questionnaire. Consent was sought from each selected participant,
privacy and confidentiality was observed during the interview.
Data was analyzed using SPSS version 21; Chi Square was computed to establish relationship
between the dependent variable and independent variable. Level of significance was set at
p<0.05 and the data were presented in form of figures and tables. Logistic regression was used
to determine the relationship between the three independent variables and the dependent
variable/outcome.
Conclusion: The study concludes that occupation of the husband has an influence on the
utilisation of ANC. High proportions of the partners who were employed had their women
attending ANC more than partners who had no occupation. Relatively, majority of the women
attended the Antenatal Care because the health care facility was easily accessible. National
health insurance promotes ANC attendance but this study observed that quiet a number of the women who had access to a valid National Health Insurance Card did not use the card to access
free ANC but were rather using the cash and carry system.
Recommendations: Male partners should be encouraged to be involved in the ANC attendance
of their women/spouse, Health care facilities should be made accessible to pregnant women to
enable them attend ANC throughout the period of pregnancy. The National Health Insurance
Authority should set up approaches to improve the services on the free maternal healthcare
policy to aid women attending the ANC with NHIS cards.
