Abstract:
Antenatal care is said to be initiated early if pregnant women start antenatal follow
up at 12 weeks and considered to be late if they starty after 12weeks of gestational age. Antenatal
care is focused mainly with prevention, early diagnosis and treatment of general medical and
pregnancy related disorders. Despite majority of pregnant women who came to our institution late
for different obstetric complication which was difficult for its management, there is no resent
research that shows the magnitude of late initiation and its assicoated factors in this study area.
Objectives: To assess the magnitude of late initiation for antenatal care and associated factors
among pregnant women who attending antenatal care at Hiwot fana comprehensive university
hospital Eastern Ethiopia, From August 12- October 30 , 2021.
Methods: An institutional based cross-sectional study design was conducted. Study participants
were selected by sequential sampling technique. Data was entered to EPI data and analyzed using
statistical package for social science version 22 software. Descriptive statistics was done and the
results was presented using texts, frequency tables and graphs and mean with standard deviations.
Logistic regression with the corresponding 95% CI was used to identify the factors associated with
the late initiation of antenatal care. Finally, statistical significance was declared with a P value of
less than 0.05.
Result:-This study showed the magnitude of late ANC initiation was 59.5% (95%CI ((54.6, 63.4).
Women aged 35 years and above (AOR 4.2; 95% CI:(1.92, 9.84), rural residency (AOR: 2.9 95%
CI:(1.59, 5.39), misperception on the time of antenatal care initiate (AOR: 5.8, CI 95%(3.71, 9.34),
unplanned pregnancy (AOR: 2.3 95% CI (1.35, 8.11), those women not able to decide to start
antenatal care by themselves (AOR:2.14(1.18, 3.89) and lack of previous antenatal care (AOR:2.01
,95% CI (1.14,5.81) were significantly associated with late antenatal care initiation.
Conclusion: More than half of the pregnant women in the study particpants initiate antenatal care
lately to the 12 weeks gestational age standard time. Women’s misprecption on the time of
initiation, rular residence, unplanned pregnancy, older age, lack of previous antenatal care and
unable to decide its initiation are significantly associated with increased late initiation of antenatal
care. Awerness on family planning, appropraite time to antenatal care initation and empowering
women to decide by them self about antenatal care initiation are needed
