Case reports and long commentaries in obstetrics and gynaecology

Abstract

Background: Antenatal care is perhaps the most common routine medical activity. It provides a unique opportunity for broader health education, especially for reproductive and for promoting healthy lifestyles. World wide both in developed and developing countries there is still under utilization of antenatal care services. This has been attributed to different socio-economic and cultural factors. In developed countries comparison of outcomes among women who did and those who did not receive antenatal care or who first attended late and those who attended early have shown to be influenced by socio-economic factors, education level, unwanted pregnancies and maternal age. While in developing countries, Kenya included, the main factors contributing to low utilization of antenatal care include long distance to health facility, level of knowledge in antenatal care by mothers about the potential benefits of use of antenatal care and level of education. Other factors are staff shortages and irregular outreach activities by reproductive health workers, as well as mothers being busy in search of food and income. Objective: To determine factors influencing early and late attendance of antenatal care at Iten district Hospital. Study design: A comparative cross-sectional study Study site: The study was carried out at Iten District Hospital at the Antenatal, MCH I FP clinics and postnatal ward. Methodology: Mothers who had delivered before were selected and interviewed with a structured questionnaire at the antenatal, MCH IFP clinics and postnatal ward until the required sample size was achieved.