article · Western Journal of Medical and Biomedical Sciences
Maternal mortality remains a critical public health issue in sub-Saharan Africa, where many deaths stem from preventable causes. Regular attendance at antenatal care and strong knowledge of pregnancy health are crucial for diagnosing and treating complications early. A community-based study conducted across twelve rural communities in Benue State evaluated the effect of health education talks on antenatal care utilisation among pregnant women. The results show that attending four or more antenatal visits strongly associates with improved knowledge of antenatal care in both the study and control groups. In addition, personal demographics significantly influence whether women access care. Women with formal education were over three times more likely to utilise antenatal services compared to those without formal schooling, and women aged 25 or older were over two and a half times more likely to attend than younger women.
Preventable complications during pregnancy drive high maternal mortality across sub-Saharan Africa. Identifying factors that influence antenatal care uptake helps public health planners address key barriers. These findings highlight that younger pregnant women and those without formal education are less likely to access essential care, demonstrating where targeted outreach and educational support are most needed to improve maternal survival in rural areas.
The abstract does not indicate a direct commercial application pathway. Public health agencies, local authorities, and non-governmental organisations can use these applied findings to tailor community health programmes and educational initiatives for rural clinics. As an observational and quasi-experimental community study, the work provides evidence for programme design rather than a market-ready product or technology.
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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.18105187
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