Abstract:
Introduction: Continuum of maternity care refers to an integrated continuity of maternity health
care service delivery. Although the continuum of maternity care is vital for the survival and wellbeing
of the mother, and the child, the magnitude of dropout and its associated factors is not well
studied in Ethiopia in general and in Bore district in particular.
Objective: To assess the magnitude of dropout from the maternity continuum of care and its
associated factors among women who gave birth in the last year in Bore, Oromia, Ethiopia.
Methods: A community-based study was employed among 422 randomly selected women who
gave birth from November 20th to December 30th, 2021. A face-to-face interview using a semistructured
pre-tested questionnaire was used to collect data. The collected data were entered into
Epi-Data 3.1 and then exported to SPSS 23 for analysis. Results were presented using simple
frequencies, summary measures, tables, and graphs. Binary and multivariable logistic regressions
were fitted to identify factors associated with dropout. Variables associated with the dropout at
p<0.25 in the binary analysis were entered into final model. Association was described using an
adjusted odds ratio (AOR) along with a 95% confidence interval (CI) with p<0.05.
Results: Of 422 eligible women, 411(97.4%) were included in the study. After antenatal care
booking, a dropout from care was 66.4% (95% CI: 61.6%, 71.1%). Women with no formal
education (AOR = 3.62; 95% CI 1.02-12.82), living in rural (AOR = 4.26; 95% CI 1.84-9.85),
traveling more than 30 minutes to reach health facility (AOR = 2.27; 95% CI 1.06-4.86), lack of
knowledge on obstetric danger signs (AOR: 4.42; 95% CI 2.10-9.30), no autonomy (AOR: 4.64;
95% CI 1.74-12.38) were factors significantly associated with dropout from continuity care.
Conclusion: Many women dropped out of the maternity continuum of care. Dropout from the
maternity continuum of care was associated with factors such as educational status, residence,
distance from the health facility, knowledge of obstetric danger signs, decision-making on health
seeking and birth preparation and complication readiness. Develop various strategies to reduce
dropout from care through health promotion programs that target mothers with lower educational
levels to raise their awareness about the importance of completing care.
