| dc.description.abstract | The study was designed to understand the level of satisfaction of teenage mothers with the ANC services they receive from TGH in Tororo district. The study had three specific objectives: to ascertain the reasons teenage mothers choose to attend ANC services; to assess the level of awareness and utilization of ANC services; and to assess teenage mothers’ perceptions of the quality of ANC services they access at TGH. The research used both a qualitative and quantitative approach; data was collected using a questionnaire for primary respondents (expectant teenage mothers) and a key informant guide for secondary respondents (health workers). The study used purposive and convenient sampling techniques to select the respondents and participants in the different categories considered for study. Data was collected from 40 respondents, which was analysed using SPSS, and Excel was used to generate graphs, pie charts, and other visuals. The Atlas software was used to analyse the qualitative data guided by thematic analysis. According to the study, the teenage mothers sought ANC services from TGH, due to encouragement by their mothers and the desire to have a good pregnancy. The findings indicate that majority 62.5% (25) had visited the hospital two times, 30% (12) had visited four times, and 7.5% (3) three times. During pregnancy, the teenage mothers are expected to attend eight visits. Ninety five percent (95% n=38) of the teenage mothers were able to see doctors when they came for the services. They indicated that they had been immunized, given some drugs, scanned, tested for HIV, and had their pregnancy examined. Respondents indicated that what they considered barriers to use of the services were distance to the health facility, mode of communication and transport, funds, cost on scanning and ignorance about the importance of ANC services. The majority of the teenage mothers indicated that the ANC services offered at the facility were very good (52.5%) since the Health Workers were friendly. This was followed by those teenage mothers who indicated that the services were poor (32.5%). Others reported that the services were very poor (10%), citing that the Health Workers were not friendly to them. Seventy eight percent (78%) of teenage mothers indicated that they would still go back in their next pregnancy to the same health centre, while 22% reported they would not go back, and at the time of the study, the majority were planning to deliver at the health facility. I recommend that the government takes the entire responsibility for funding hospitals to provide all ANC services, including scans and other related hidden costs that are typically incurred by expectant mothers, for free. | en_US |
