Antenatal Care Utilization and Delivery Location: Evidence from Postpartum Women in Enugu, South East Nigeria
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21106/IJMA_381_2026Keywords:
- Antenatal Care Services (ANC),
- Place of delivery,
- Skilled Birth Attendants,
- Traditional Birth Attendants (TBA),
- Choice of Place Delivery,
- Women
Abstract
Background and Objective: Maternal mortality is high in sub-Saharan African countries. This death can be prevented by increasing the percentage of deliveries attended by skilled birth attendants (SBA). In Nigeria, most women still deliver with traditional birth attendants (TBA), leading to complications and death. This study examined factors associated with antenatal care (ANC) and delivery location among recently delivered women attending an immunization clinic in Enugu, Nigeria.
Methods: This was a cross-sectional survey involving 501 participants. A pretested questionnaire was used to collect data through purposive sampling. Independent variables included the socio-demographic characteristics. The dependent variable was the choice of delivery location. Demographic characteristics and descriptive statistics were reported as percentages and frequencies. Associations between the variables were analyzed using chi-square testing. A two-sided p value below 0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Results: Most participants attended ANC (92.8%) and delivered (90.6%) in a healthcare facility with SBA. The most common person influencing the choice of delivery location was “self” (54.8%). The most considered factor in choosing a place of delivery was the competence of the doctor/midwife (85.9%). Significant associations were found between choice of place of delivery and age (ꭓ2 = 11.403; p = 0.010), educational status (ꭓ2 = 61.012; p = 0.001), occupation (ꭓ2 = 14.931; p = 0.002), and monthly income (ꭓ2 = 44.440; p < 0.001).
Conclusion and Global Health Implications: Most women received ANC and gave birth in a healthcare facility, though a few used home, spiritual houses, and TBAs. The choice of care location is associated with personal, socio-demographic, economic, and hospital-related factors. The findings suggest that perceived staff competence and service availability may influence women’s decisions about where to seek maternity care.
Downloads
Similar Articles
- Elangovan Arumugam, Joseph K. David, Santhakumar Aridoss, Nagaraj Jaganathasamy, Malathi Mathiyazhakan, Ganesh Balasubramanian, Manikandan Natesan, VM, Padmapriya, BK Kirubakaran, Sanjay Patel, Pradeep Kumar, Shobini Rajan, An Analysis of Levels and Trends in HIV Prevalence Among Pregnant Women Attending Antenatal Clinics in Karnataka, South India, 2003-2019 , Vol. 10 No. 2 (2021): International Journal of Maternal and Child Health and AIDS
- Fatima M. Damagum, Zainab D. Ahmed, Rabiu I. Jalo, Hamisu M. Salihu, C. William Wester, Muktar H. Aliyu, Adapted Counseling Care Model for Management of Female Sexual Dysfunction Among Women Living With and Without HIV , Vol. 13 No. Continuous (2024): International Journal of Maternal and Child Health and AIDS
- Sybil S. Opoku Asiedu, Nana Abena Ansah Apatu, Rosemond Tetteh, Abraham Hodgson, Neonatal Cord Care Practices among Mothers and Caregivers in the Volta Region of Ghana , Vol. 8 No. 1 (2019): International Journal of Maternal and Child Health and AIDS
- Kalaivani Mani, Sada Nand Dwivedi, Ravindra Mohan Pandey, Determinants of Under-Five Mortality in Rural Empowered Action Group States in India: An Application of Cox Frailty Model , Vol. 1 No. 1 (2012): International Journal of Maternal and Child Health and AIDS
- Nkechi Martina Odogwu, Chinedum A. C. Onebunne, Oladapo O. Olayemi, Akinyinka O. Omigbodun, Protocol for a Longitudinal Analysis of the Vaginal Microbiome from a Pregnant Cohort of African Women in Nigeria , Vol. 9 No. 2 (2020): International Journal of Maternal and Child Health and AIDS
- Joseph F. Nkfusai, Simon M. Manga, Kathleen Nulah, Calvin Ngalla, Florence Manjuh, Claude Ngwayu Nkfusai, Tendongfor Nicholas, Halle Ekane Edie Gregory, Cervical Precancer Treatment Outcomes in Cameroon , Vol. 13 No. Continuous (2024): International Journal of Maternal and Child Health and AIDS
- Cedrina L. Calder, Heather O’Hara, Mohammad Tabatabai, Celia J. Maxwell, Salisha Marryshow, Aima A. Ahonkhai, Carolyn M. Audet, C. William Wester, Muktar H. Aliyu, Adherence to Combination Antiretroviral Therapy among Pregnant Women Enrolled in a HIV Prevention Program in Rural North-central Nigeria , Vol. 9 No. 1 (2020): International Journal of Maternal and Child Health and AIDS
- Linda Aurpibul, Fuanglada Tongprasert, Uraiwan Wichasilp, Arunrat Tangmunkongvorakul, Depressive Symptoms Associated with Low Quality of Life Among Pregnant and Postpartum Women Living with HIV in Chiang Mai, Thailand , Vol. 9 No. 3 (2020): International Journal of Maternal and Child Health and AIDS
- Sue C. Lin, Stella M. Yu, Disparities in Healthcare Access and Utilization among Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder from Immigrant Non-English Primary Language Households in the United States , Vol. 3 No. 2 (2015): International Journal of Maternal and Child Health and AIDS
- Nazrul Islam Mondal, Monzur Morshad Nasir Ullah, Nuruzzaman Khan, Mohammad Zamirul Islam, Nurul Islam, Sabiha Yasmin Moni, Nazrul Hoque, Mashiur Rahman, Socioeconomic and Demographic Disparities in Knowledge of Reproductive Healthcare among Female University Students in Bangladesh , Vol. 4 No. 2 (2015): International Journal of Maternal and Child Health and AIDS
<< < 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 > >>
You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright © 2026 Innocent Anayochukwu Ugwu, Calistus Obiora Nevo, Malachy Nwaeze Ezenwaeze. Published by Global Health and Education Projects, Inc., USA.
This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , which permits others to remix, transform, and build upon the work non-commercially, provided the original author is credited and the new creations are licensed under the same terms.