Quraish Sserwanja1, Rehemah Nabbuye2, Joseph Kawuki3. 1. Programmes Department, GOAL, Khartoum, Sudan. 2. Advocacy Department, Ice Breakers Uganda, Kampala, Uganda. 3. Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary Care, Centre for Health Behaviours Research, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Women empowerment has been viewed as a good strategy in the reduction of global maternal morbidity and mortality. Most of the recent studies in Uganda have focussed on antenatal care (ANC) frequency and the associated factors with no focus on the effect of women empowerment. Our study aims at examining the prevalence of optimal access to ANC by considering the timing of initiation, type of ANC provider and ANC frequency and their association with women empowerment. METHODS: We used Uganda Demographic and Health Survey 2016 data of 9957 women aged 15-49 years. Multistage stratified sampling was used to select study participants and we conducted multivariable logistic regression to establish the association between women empowerment and access to ANC using Statistical package for the social sciences version 25. RESULTS: Out of 9957 women, 2953 (29.7%: 95% CI: 28.5.0-30.2) had initiated ANC in first trimester, 6080 (61.1%: 95% CI: 60.4-62.3) had 4 or more ANC contacts, and 9880 (99.2%: 95% CI: 99.0-99.3) had received ANC from a skilled provider. Overall, 2399 (24.1%: 95% CI: 23.0-24.6) had optimal access to ANC. Economic empowerment and exposure to media were the only women empowerment indices that were positively associated with optimal access to ANC. Other factors that were significant include; region, wealth index, age, level of education and working status. CONCLUSION: To ensure increased access to ANC, policy-makers and other stakeholders should prioritise the use of mass media in maternal health programs, equitable allocation of the limited financial resources with a focus on older, poor and uneducated women.
BACKGROUND: Women empowerment has been viewed as a good strategy in the reduction of global maternal morbidity and mortality. Most of the recent studies in Uganda have focussed on antenatal care (ANC) frequency and the associated factors with no focus on the effect of women empowerment. Our study aims at examining the prevalence of optimal access to ANC by considering the timing of initiation, type of ANC provider and ANC frequency and their association with women empowerment. METHODS: We used Uganda Demographic and Health Survey 2016 data of 9957 women aged 15-49 years. Multistage stratified sampling was used to select study participants and we conducted multivariable logistic regression to establish the association between women empowerment and access to ANC using Statistical package for the social sciences version 25. RESULTS: Out of 9957 women, 2953 (29.7%: 95% CI: 28.5.0-30.2) had initiated ANC in first trimester, 6080 (61.1%: 95% CI: 60.4-62.3) had 4 or more ANC contacts, and 9880 (99.2%: 95% CI: 99.0-99.3) had received ANC from a skilled provider. Overall, 2399 (24.1%: 95% CI: 23.0-24.6) had optimal access to ANC. Economic empowerment and exposure to media were the only women empowerment indices that were positively associated with optimal access to ANC. Other factors that were significant include; region, wealth index, age, level of education and working status. CONCLUSION: To ensure increased access to ANC, policy-makers and other stakeholders should prioritise the use of mass media in maternal health programs, equitable allocation of the limited financial resources with a focus on older, poor and uneducated women.
Authors: Quraish Sserwanja; Lilian Nuwabaine; Ghislaine Gatasi; Julius N Wandabwa; Milton W Musaba Journal: BMC Health Serv Res Date: 2022-06-22 Impact factor: 2.908
Authors: Quraish Sserwanja; Linet M Mutisya; Lilian Nuwabaine; Kassim Kamara; Ronald K Mutebi; Milton W Musaba Journal: Arch Public Health Date: 2022-08-09
Authors: Alison B Comfort; Alison M El Ayadi; Carol S Camlin; Alexander C Tsai; Hadija Nalubwama; Josaphat Byamugisha; Dilys M Walker; James Moody; Tatyana Roberts; Umar Senoga; Paul J Krezanoski; Cynthia C Harper Journal: BMC Pregnancy Childbirth Date: 2022-09-16 Impact factor: 3.105
Authors: Quraish Sserwanja; Milton W Musaba; Kassim Kamara; Linet M Mutisya; David Mukunya Journal: BMC Health Serv Res Date: 2022-09-28 Impact factor: 2.908