article · Western Journal of Medical and Biomedical Sciences
Maternal mortality remains a critical challenge across sub-Saharan Africa, where many pregnancy-related deaths arise from preventable causes that can be managed through regular healthcare. A quasi-experimental study conducted across twelve rural communities in Benue State investigated antenatal care awareness and service uptake among expectant mothers. The results show that attendance at clinics strongly associates with healthcare awareness, as women attending four or more antenatal sessions were over four times more likely to demonstrate good antenatal knowledge in the intervention group. In addition, demographic factors markedly shaped service uptake. Women with formal schooling were over three times more likely to utilise antenatal care services than those without formal education, while women aged twenty-five and older were more than twice as likely to attend appointments compared to younger mothers.
Preventable complications account for over half of global maternal deaths, largely concentrated in sub-Saharan Africa. Identifying which groups of women are least likely to seek care, particularly younger mothers and those lacking formal education, helps public health authorities and community organisations target their educational outreach effectively, encouraging vital clinic visits that protect the health of mothers and infants.
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ABSTRACT In sub-Saharan Africa, maternal mortality is a major public health problem where more than half of the world's maternal deaths occur due to preventable causes. These causes of maternal deaths are diagnosed and treated when pregnant women have good antenatal care (ANC) knowledge and consistently attend ANC. This study aimed to assess the effect of health talk in promoting antenatal care attendance among pregnant women in rural communities. The study was a community based quasi-experimental study carried out in twelve rural communities in Benue state among pregnant women using multistage sampling technique. Participants who had ≥4 ANC contacts were 4.2 times more likely to have good knowledge of ANC than those with less visits in the study group (OR 4.2; CI 1.29-14.12). In the control group, women who had ≥4 ANC contacts were 15.8 times more likely to have good knowledge of ANC (OR 15.8; CI 1.14- 181.13). Women who had formal education were 3.1 times more likely to utilize ANC than those without formal education (OR 3.12; CI 1.42-6.84). Also, women who were ≥25 years were 2.6 times more likely to utilize ANC than those <25 years (OR 2.65; CI 1.12-5.58). The study reveals that women who had four or more ANC attendance were 16 times more likely to have good knowledge of ANC (OR 15.5; CI 1.34-181.93).
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DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.18105186
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