Determinants of Antenatal Health Care Utilisation among Young Mothers in Liberia

Abstract

Women who receive adequate antenatal care (ANC) are less likely to encounter pregnancy and delivery difficulties. Despite the advantages of ANC, many young women in Liberia continue to fall short of the WHO's recommended minimum of four visits. This study seeks to determine the prevalence of antenatal health care utilisation among young mothers in Liberia, as well as the demographic and socio-economic characteristics that influence their ANC utilisation. Cross-sectional data from the 2019-2020 Liberia Demographic and Health Survey were analysed in this study. A sample of 1,296 young mothers aged 15 to 24 who had previously given birth were selected for analysis. Descriptive statistics such as frequency tables, percentage distributions and charts were used to describe the background characteristics of respondents at the univariate level. Associations between demographic and socio-economic characteristics and ANC utilisation were analysed at the bivariate level using Pearson chi square tests and cross-tabulations at a 95% confidence level. At the multivariate level, the relationships between demographic and socio-economic characteristics and ANC utilisation were analysed using binary logistic regression. The findings of the study indicate that the prevalence of ANC utilisation by young mothers in Liberia was relatively high at 88.9%. The educational profile of the sample also showed that 50% of young mothers had secondary or higher education, while mothers who were not in union constituted nearly half (46.9%). 68.3% of the mothers initiated ANC during the first trimester, while 29% found the distance to a health facility to be a problem that limited their access. At the bivariate level, correlations were found between the number of ANC visits, the time of the first ANC visit, the region of residence, the distance to the health facility, and marital status. At the multivariate level, ANC usage was not significantly predicted by mothers' age, education level, wealth status, region and place of residence, marital status,parity, health insurance, or religion, according to the results of the binary logistic regression analysis. However, the timing of the first ANC visit and the distance to the health facility were significant predictors of ANC utilisation among young mothers. The study’s findings inform the need for policy makers (government and partners) to expand access to ANC services by providing more ANC service centres that are closer to communities, in order to reduce the burden of distance to a health facility. They should also develop programs that encourage young women to seek early ANC and reduce stigma against pregnant young women.