Factors Influencing Antenatal Clinic Attendance among Pregnant Women in the Ningo-Prampram District in Greater Accra Region, Ghana

Abstract

Despite the availability of antenatal care services, many pregnant women in Ghana, especially those in rural areas delay initiating antenatal care attendance. Without access to vital screening and support services to monitor pregnancy progress, detect complications early and ensure safe delivery, the risk of preventable maternal deaths can increase. The world Health Organization advises a minimum of eight antenatal visits starting within the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. However, several context-sensitive factors contribute to antenatal clinic attendance among pregnant women. This study sought to identify factors influencing antenatal clinic attendance among pregnant women in the Ningo-Prampram district. A cross-sectional quantitative study was conducted among pregnant women attending ANC at the Prampram Clinic. Simple random sampling was used to select 243 participants who had a median age of 27 from the source population. Data was collected using questionnaires, cleaned in MS Excel and exported into STATA 17.0 for analysis. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were performed, and all tests were considered statistically significant at a p-value of 0.05. The results indicated that a total of 146 (60.1%) of the pregnant women had attended ANC more than four times and 97 (39.9%) attended ANC less than four times. Demographic factors had a significant association with ANC visits in this study. Likewise, perceived susceptibility to pregnancy-related complications and health facility-related factors. Sociocultural factors also showed a statistically significant association with antenatal clinic attendance. In conclusion, this study reveals that sociocultural factors such as norms and customs regarding pregnancy significantly influenced antenatal clinic attendance among pregnant women in the Ningo-Prampram District. Addressing these factors through community-based interventions could significantly improve ANC attendance and ultimately enhance maternal and child health outcomes in the Greater Accra Region.