1. Factors associated with four or more antenatal care services among pregnant women: a cross-sectional survey in eight South Central Coast provinces of Vietnam
- Author
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Doan Thi Thuy Duong, Pham V. Tac, Bui Thi Thu Ha, Le M. Thi, and Duong M. Duc
- Subjects
medicine.medical_specialty ,Pediatrics ,business.industry ,Cross-sectional study ,male involvement ,South Central Coast provinces ,ethnic minority ,Alternative medicine ,Obstetrics and Gynecology ,International Journal of Women's Health ,Public Health, Global Health, Social Medicine and Epidemiology ,Reproduktionsmedicin och gynekologi ,Exploratory analysis ,antenatal care services ,Folkhälsovetenskap, global hälsa, socialmedicin och epidemiologi ,Oncology ,Vietnam ,Environmental health ,Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Medicine ,Maternity and Midwifery ,medicine ,Rural area ,business ,pregnant women ,Original Research - Abstract
Bui TT Ha,1 Pham V Tac,2 Duong M Duc,1,3 Doan TT Duong,1 Le M Thi1 1Department of Reproductive Health, Hanoi School of Public Health, 2Department of Personnel and Organization, Ministry of Health, Ba Dinh, Ha Noi, Vietnam; 3International Maternal and Child Health (IMCH), Department of Women’s and Children’s Health, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden Background: In Vietnam, four or more antenatal care (ANC4+) visits/services among pregnant women have not been officially reported in the health system. Moreover, the factors associated with the use of ANC4+ services have not been studied in previous studies. In this study, we conducted an exploratory analysis to identify the rate of utilization of ANC4+ services and factors associated with use of ANC4+ services among pregnant women in rural areas of Vietnam.Methods: The study was conducted in eight provinces in the South Central Coast region of Vietnam between August 2013 and May 2014. A total of 907 women, who delivered in the past 1year, participated in the study. Multivariate logistic regression model was used to examine the association between all potential factors and utilization of ANC4+ services.Results: The rate of utilization of ANC4+ services by women in eight South Central Coast provinces was 53.9%. Factors negatively associated with using ANC4+ services were belonging to ethnic minority groups having lower education, doing informal works, having lower income, having lower knowledge on ANC4+ services, and receiving no financial support from the husband. In particular, financial support from the husband was considered important in improving the use of ANC4+ services by women in rural areas.Conclusion: The study asserted an inadequacy for ANC4+ utilization and can contribute to missed opportunities to achieve better maternal outcomes for women in rural areas of Vietnam. The necessity of introducing ANC4+ services in the national guidelines on maternal health care should be disseminated to health policy-makers. Strategies to increase ANC4+ utilization should focus on knowledge improvement and on poor, low-income, and ethnic minority women. Keywords: pregnant women, antenatal care services, ethnic minority, male involvement, South Central Coast provinces, Vietnam
- Published
- 2015