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Determinants of attendance in antenatal care clinics in rural settings in Mali and Burkina Faso: a cross-sectional study

Joel D. Bognini^*

Received Date: Dec 05, 2024 / Accepted Date: Dec 31, 2024 / Published Date: Dec 31, 2024

Citation: Bognini JD, Koita K, N’takpe JB, Bihoun B, Dembelé M, et al. (2024) Determinants of Attendance in Antenatal Care Clinics in rural Settings in Mali and Burkina Faso: A Cross-Sectional Study. J Preg Child Health 11: 667.

Copyright: © 2024 Bognini JD, et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

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Background: Since 2016, the World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended that pregnant women receive a minimum of Eight Antenatal Care (ANC) contacts with a qualified healthcare professional, beginning in the first trimester to fully benefit from preventive and curative care and have a positive pregnancy experience. This study aimed to identify the determinants of ANC attendance in Mali and Burkina Faso prior to the implementation in each country. Methods: Data were collected in June 2022 through a three-stage household survey with a representative sample of women who delivered in the previous 12 months in the health districts of Kangaba (Mali) and Boussé (Burkina Faso). Country-specific analyses were performed using self-report data. Women’s sociodemographic, clinical characteristics, and attitudes towards ANC attendance, were described accounting for clustering. Multivariable logistic regression models using generalized estimating equations were used to identify the determinants of four and more ANC (ANC4+) uptake. A p-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant in adjusted model. Results: Overall, 1590 women participated in the study. Women in Burkina Faso were older and less educated than women in Mali. There were more women with ANC4+ visits in Burkina Faso than in Mali (80% and 54%, respectively); attendance in the first trimester of pregnancy was 38.7% and 43.8% in Mali and Burkina Faso, respectively. Factors significantly associated with a higher probability for women to attend ANC4+ visits were: a history of stillbirth (Mali), and travel time less than 1 hour to reach the maternity clinic, women’s recognition of the importance of prenatal care, and the perceived low cost of the ANC visit (in both countries). Conclusion: ANC attendance was far lower in Mali compared to Burkina Faso, with low ANC attendance in early pregnancy in both countries. Health policies aimed at achieving the WHO recommendation of 8 ANC contacts should consider reducing or even removing health service fees for pregnant women in Mali and prioritizing health information and sensitization to improve their knowledge of the importance of contact with qualified health professionals in both countries.