Factors affecting the utilization of Antenatal Care services by women in Semi-nomadic areas in Uganda
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Abstract
Despite the government efforts to increase the access and use of essential maternal care services such as Antenatal Care (ANC) services, the number of women utilizing these ANC services has not increased most especially in the semi-nomadic areas. The general objective of this study was to determine the factors affecting the utilization of ANC among women in the semi-nomadic areas, case of Kotido and Moroto districts. Secondary data collected through a stratified two-stage cluster sampling design by monitoring and evaluation project of PEPFAR in Uganda 2016 was used. Sub-counties were treated as strata from which 19 mothers with children aged 0-11 months were randomly selected. Overall, 228 mothers were selected from each district. The data obtained was analyzed using STATA at two stages, using the Pearson Chi-square, and the logit model were used to find the association / relationship between the number of ANC visits and the various explanatory variables (age, marital status, distance to the health facility, partner involvement, education level). Analysis revealed that the number of ANC visits made by a woman living in Semi-Nomadic areas was highly influenced by education level of women and their marital Status except distance to the health facility. Based on the findings, the government should encourage Girl-child education to empower women to handle issues concerning their health as an urgent matter and also avail them with knowledge about the goodness that comes with them obtaining the maternal services
