an examination of the role of antenatal care attendance in ...

The results show a significant relationship (X 2 = 20.987; p= 0.000) between timing of first antenatal
care visit and adverse birth outcome. Surprisingly, women attending antenatal care in their first
trimester were more likely (37 percent) to have adverse birth outcomes compared with women
reporting attending antenatal care in their second and third trimester (23.6 percent) as the timing for
their first antenatal care visit.
Also of interest, more than 54 percent of women reporting private health facility as their place of
delivery were significantly more likely (X 2 = 80.167; p= 0.000) to have adverse birth outcome
compared with women who delivered in a public health facility (29.2 percent) and at home (6.6
percent).
There was a statistically significant relationship (X 2 = 27.446; p= 0.000) between race of the mother and
birth outcome. Women of other races (41 percent) were more likely to have adverse birth outcome
compared with African women (23.9 percent). Also women residing in urban areas (33 percent) were
significantly (X 2 = 16.633; p= 0.000) more likely to have adverse birth outcome compare to women in
rural areas (22.7 percent). Women with secondary or higher education were more likely (29 percent) to
have adverse birth outcome compared with women with primary or less education (23.6 percent). The
results were statistically significant (X 2 = 4.208; p= 0.040).
Interestingly, the results also show that a high proportion of women with a high API (43.9 percent)
were likely to have adverse birth outcomes compared with women with a medium high (33 percent),
medium (22 percent) and low API (7.8 percent). The results were found to be statistically significant
(X 2 = 40.460; p= 0.000).
About 30 percent of women aged 25 to 34 years were more likely to have an adverse birth outcome,
compared with 26 percent of women aged 15 to 24 years and 22.5 percent of women aged 35 to 49.
However, the results were found to be statistically not significant (X 2 = 4.198, p= 0.123). There was a
statistical significant relationship (X 2 = 6.257; p= 0.044) between marital status and birth outcome.
Women who were currently married (28.9 percent) were likely to have adverse birth outcomes
compared with never married women (26.2 percent) and formally married women (14.5 percent).
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