Renita Maharaj1, Masoud Mohammadnezhad2, Sabiha Khan3. 1. Ba Mission Hospital, Ba, Fiji Islands. 2. Associate Professor in Public Health, School of Public Health and Primary Care, Fiji National University, Suva, Fiji. masraqo@hotmail.com. 3. Lecturer in Biostatistics, School of Public Health and Primary Care, Fiji National University, Suva, Fiji.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Antenatal Care (ANC) plays a pivotal role in improving child and maternal health. Even though antenatal coverage in Fiji is more than 95%, the majority of pregnant women fail to initiate ANC within the first trimester. Thus, the research aimed to determine factors that are associated with late antenatal booking among pregnant women who delivered in Ba Mission Hospital (BMH) in Fiji in 2019. METHODS: Secondary data analysis was done using SPSS version 24 on 340 pregnant women who had delivered in BMH from January 1 to December 31, 2019 and met the eligibility criteria. A data extraction sheet was used to collect information on socio-demographic, obstetric, and medical factors. RESULTS: The prevalence of late booking in BMH in 2019 was 79.7%. The results of the bivariate analysis showed that being from I-taukei ethnicity (AOR: 2.36; p = 0.003), an unmarried woman (AOR: 2.5; p = 0.004), and women with < eight ANC visits (AOR: 3.7; p < 0.001) during the pregnancy were significant predictors of late antenatal booking. Multivariate analysis showed that only < eight ANC visits were a significant determinant of late antenatal booking (COR: 3.6; p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The burden of late antenatal booking in Ba is higher than those of some other developing nations. Efforts are needed to create community awareness on the importance of early ANC booking. The significant factor identified should inform policymakers on how to influence pregnant women to come for an early booking for ANC.
OBJECTIVE: Antenatal Care (ANC) plays a pivotal role in improving child and maternal health. Even though antenatal coverage in Fiji is more than 95%, the majority of pregnant women fail to initiate ANC within the first trimester. Thus, the research aimed to determine factors that are associated with late antenatal booking among pregnant women who delivered in Ba Mission Hospital (BMH) in Fiji in 2019. METHODS: Secondary data analysis was done using SPSS version 24 on 340 pregnant women who had delivered in BMH from January 1 to December 31, 2019 and met the eligibility criteria. A data extraction sheet was used to collect information on socio-demographic, obstetric, and medical factors. RESULTS: The prevalence of late booking in BMH in 2019 was 79.7%. The results of the bivariate analysis showed that being from I-taukei ethnicity (AOR: 2.36; p = 0.003), an unmarried woman (AOR: 2.5; p = 0.004), and women with < eight ANC visits (AOR: 3.7; p < 0.001) during the pregnancy were significant predictors of late antenatal booking. Multivariate analysis showed that only < eight ANC visits were a significant determinant of late antenatal booking (COR: 3.6; p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The burden of late antenatal booking in Ba is higher than those of some other developing nations. Efforts are needed to create community awareness on the importance of early ANC booking. The significant factor identified should inform policymakers on how to influence pregnant women to come for an early booking for ANC.