Factors that determine Antenatal Care Attendence among young mothers in Nebbi General Hospital

Abstract

The study was an investigation of the factors influencing utilization of Antenatal Care Services among teenage Mothers attending at Nebbi General Hospital. Specifically, to establish the effect of mother’s age at first birth, mother’s education and distance to the health facility on utilization of antenatal care services among young mothers attending at Nebbi General Hospital. The study findings revealed that Out of 110 respondents interviewed, 76% (n = 84) were from within Nebbi town, the majority (59%; n = 65) had attained primary education level, the highest percentage (39%) of the young mothers were into subsistence agriculture implying that mothers were ideally unemployed. Also, the largest proportion (48%; n = 53) received that decisions about the antenatal attendances was collectively made by them and their partners. Furthermore, the study results revealed that averagely the mother conceived at the age of 27 years, youngest at the age of 14 years and the oldest at the age of 43 years. Surprisingly, results indicated that the less educated mothers attended antenatal care more often than the more educated mothers. Mother’s age at first birth, Mother’s education and distance to the health facility were found to highly predict antenatal attendance among young mothers attending at Nebbi general hospital. Antenatal care has the potential to reduce maternal morbidity and improve newborns' survival but this benefit may not be realized in areas such as Nebbi where there is limited sensitization and dominated by remote areas away from the town and health facilities. However, government needs to devise an approach to make services accessible in rural communities especially in the Northern Uganda and to make regular sensitizations about the benefits of antenatal care.