A study on antenatal care service utilization and related factors among mothers of children under one year old at Tuy Duc district, Dak Nong province, 2014

Abstract

     The study was conducted covering 6 communes in Tuy Duc district from February to August, 2015. Study subjects were mothers residing locally for at least 2 years, with children under 1 year old. The cross-sectional design was applied with a sample size of 360 mothers.

Findings: 75.6% of pregnant women were routinely given 3 antenatal care visits, and 89.2% of women were fully vaccinated against tetanus, and 89.4% of mothers orally took multiple micronutrient or iron tablets. Factors related to adequate antenatal care were education level and living standards: the proportion of those having lower education level (below secondary school) with incomplete antenatal

care was 2.9 times higher than that of those having secondary education level or higher; and those from poor households having incomplete antenatal care are 2.0 times higher those in the non-poor group.

Main recommendation of the study is that it is necessary to strengthen health communication activities, with priorities for mothers with education level below secondary school, on full antenatal  care during pregnancy.