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Background: Utilizing antenatal care (ANC) is vital for maternal and neonatal well-being, especially in low-resource settings with healthcare challenges. Identifying factors impacting antenatal care this context, t of current situation in Sudan is crucial for developing strategies to improve maternal care. This study explores ANC utilization amidst COVID-19, security issues, and healthcare instability in primary health care centers in a resource-constrained environment, aiming to enhance maternal care access and quality. Methods: This is a mixed-methods study. Quantitative data were collected through a retrospective analysis of ANC attendance records before and during the pandemic. Demographic variables were analyzed for their association with ANC utilization. In-depth interviews were conducted to collect qualitative data from pregnant women and healthcare providers. These interviews focused on capturing the experiences, perceptions, and obstacles associated with antenatal care services during the pandemic and within the healthcare system challenges. Results: Preliminary quantitative analysis revealed a significant decline in ANC utilization during the pandemic. Fear of COVID-19 infection, disrupted transportation, and resource constraints have emerged as significant barriers to ANC attendance. The qualitative findings highlighted the impact of security challenges on healthcare access and the adaptation strategies employed, including mobile ANC clinics and telehealth consultations. Conclusion: This study illuminates the intricate landscape of ANC utilization in the face of a pandemic, security instability, and healthcare system vulnerability. Policymakers and stakeholders should collaborate to strengthen healthcare systems and ensure the continued provision of essential maternal health services during challenging times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Group Antenatal Care (GANC) is an alternative for traditional antenatal care. Despite the model is well accepted among participants and is associated with positive effects on pregnancy outcomes, recruitment of participants can be an ongoing challenge, depending on the structure and financing of the wider health system. This is especially the case for primary care organizations offering GANC, which depend on other health care providers to refer potential participants. The main objective of this study is to understand what determinants are at play for health care providers to refer to GANC facilitators in primary care organizations. Accordingly, we make recommendations for strategies in order to increase the influx of women in GANC. Methods: Qualitative findings were obtained from 31 interviews with healthcare providers responsible for the referral of women to the GANC facilitators working in primary care organizations, GANC facilitators and stakeholders indirectly involved in the referral. The domains of the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) and the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF) helped to develop interview questions and raise awareness of important elements during interviews and thematic analyses. Results: The findings show that before health care providers decide to refer women, they undergo a complex process that is influenced by characteristics of the potential referrer, GANC facilitator, woman, professional relationship between the potential referrer and the GANC facilitator, organization and broader context. Discussion: Based on these findings and current literature, we recommend that the GANC team implements strategies that anticipate relevant determinants: identify and select potential referrers based on their likelihood to refer, select champions, invest in communication, concretise the collaboration, provide practical tools, involve in policymaking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Pregnant women who had full antenatal care follow-up are expected to give birth in health facilities. However, in Ethiopia, after full antenatal care booking, many women still prefer to give birth at home. Thus, the purpose of this study was to explore and describe why women give childbirth at home after full antenatal care follow-up in the study setting. Methods: Exploratory-descriptive qualitative design was conducted in Humbo and Abala Abaya districts, Southern Ethiopia, from June to September 2020. Nine in-depth interviews and four focus group discussions were held with purposively selected participants. Women who gave birth at home after attending equal to or more than four antenatal care appointments in the last year were included. The collected data were majorly analyzed by inductive thematic analysis technique, but deductive analysis was also applied whenever the potential themes needed further enrichment. A thick description of the findings is done in the respective heading and sub-heading using participants' verbatim quotations. Results: A total of 9 in-depth interviews and four focus group discussions comprising 35 participants was conducted. Three major themes and nine sub-themes emerged from the data. Socio-cultural and community influences, socio-economic obstacles, and health system-related barriers are the major themes identified. Traditional practices, personal beliefs, social norms, knowledge, and attitude about institutional delivery, household economic capability, decision-making capacity of the women, delivery service quality, and service providers related barriers are the sub-themes defining the home delivery experience of women after full antenatal care follow-up in the study setting. Conclusion: In this study, socio-economic, cultural, and health system-related barriers are major reasons for home delivery. Improvement of public awareness on the risk of home delivery and elimination of its facilitative social norms, empowerment of women's economic, educational, and decision-making capability and healthcare workers' and health facilities' capacity are recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Antenatal care (ANC) is one of the most cost-effective and crucial components of maternal health care services. In developing countries where access to care, empowerment, and decision making power of women is low, ANC service is vital. The time at which first ANC visit was done has the utmost importance to ensure optimal health effects for both women and children. This study aimed to assess the proportion and factors associated with early antenatal care booking among pregnant women who were attending public health institutions in a remote area of Bule Hora district, Southern Ethiopia, from May to July, 2019. Methods: Institutional-based cross-sectional study design was conducted at Bule Hora district public health facilities. Data were collected on systematically selected 377 pregnant women from 1st May to 30th July 2019. The sample size was determined by single population proportion formula and data were collected by using a standardized and pretested questionnaire and entered into Epidata 3.1 version, and then exported to Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 25 for analysis. The strength of association was measured by odds ratios with 95% confidence interval (CI) at a p-value of < 0.05 and finally obtained results were presented by using simple frequency tables, bar graph, and texts. Results: The proportion of early antenatal care booking among pregnant women attending antenatal care in the study area was 57.8%. Factors contributing to early antenatal care booking were husband's education (Adjusted odds ratio (AOR), 2.5; 95% CI: 1.2, 4.9), knowledge on antenatal care service (AOR,1.99; 95% CI:1.2,3.3), means of approving current pregnancy (AOR,1.8; 95% CI:1.1,2.8), and being advised before starting antenatal care visit (AOR,2.1; 95% CI:1.2,3.6). Conclusion: Generally, the timely initiation of ANC among pregnant mothers is not ideal. Modifiable factors like husband's education, knowledge on antenatal care service, means of recognizing current pregnancy, and access to pre-ANC advice were found determinants for the timely initiation of ANC. Thus, it is advisable to provide proper information about antenatal care services by health care providers and enhancement of health extension program to increase community awareness before and during pregnancy at all levels of health care provision is very important. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]