Abstract:
Introduction: The World Health Organization recommends that four antenatal care visits in low
risk pregnancies and prescribes the evidence based content for each visit to reduce maternal and
neonatal morbidity and mortality. Pregnant women who start the first antenatal care visit at or after
16 weeks of gestation are considered as late antenatal care booking that makes difficult to
implement effective routine antenatal care strategies to enhance wellbeingness of maternal and
child health. Therefore, this study was aimed to assess the magnitude and factors associated to late
antenatal care booking among pregnant women.
Methods: The study was conducted in Dire Dawa City from February 01 to March 02, 2017. An
institutional based cross-sectional study design was applied to study 406 pregnant women.
Participants were selected using systematic random sampling methods. Data were collected using
pre-tested face-to-face interviewer administered questionnaire by six diploma midwifery/ Nurses.
The data were entered, cleaned and edited by EpiData version 3.1 and exported to SPSS version
22.0 for analysis. Bivariate and multivariable logistic regression with 95% confidence interval was
applied and variables at p-value less than 0.05 were identified as statistically significant.
Results: A total of 406 pregnant women were included in the study yielding to a response rate of
99.5%. The magnitude of late antenatal care booking was found to be 55.9%% (95%CI: 51.1%,
60.80%). Multivariate analysis revealed that pregnant women with poor knowledge on the time
and importance of antenatal care [AOR=2.83, 95% CI: 1.78, 4.49], did not get Advice on antenatal
care [AOR=1.63, 95%CI:1.10, 2.52], late antenatal care booking for previous pregnancy
[AOR=4.01, 95%CI: (1.52, 10.58], age of women 25 years and above [AOR=1.82, 95%CI: 1.12,
2.87] and being employed [AOR=1.87, 95%CI: 1.19, 2.93] were more likely to book in late time
of pregnancy compared to their counter parts.
Conclusion:Generally more than half of pregnant women attended the first antenatal care visit in
late time of pregnancy, so increasing their knowledge by providing health education on timing of
antenatal care booking and the importance of early antenatal care booking is very important.
