Browsing by Author "Mercy, John Mmassy"

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    Factors contributing to late antenatal booking among pregnant women at Kampala International University Teaching Hospital
    (Kampala International University, School of Health Sciences, 2016-10) Mercy, John Mmassy
    The initiation of antenatal care (“booking”) is universally recommended in the first trimester but existing evidence from developing countries indicates that few women seek antenatal care at an early stage of their pregnancy and that late initiation of ANC may lead to undetected or late detection of maternal health problems and subsequently unmanaged complication among pregnant women and thus contributes to maternal mortality. This study aimed to determine the factors contributing to late booking of antenatal care among pregnant women in Kampala International University Teaching Hospital. Cross-sectional quantitative study using interviewer-administered questionnaire was conducted in Kampala International University Teaching Hospital. A total number of 52 pregnant women attending antenatal clinic selected by systematic random sampling were included in the study. Data from the completed questionnaires was entered into the computer and finally analyzed with SPSS version 16.0. It was observed that majority (65%) of the pregnant women book for antenatal services at the second through to the third trimester of pregnancy. Important sociodemographic factors associated with late ANC booking included: maternal age (younger and older age groups- 62.5% and 100% respectively); marital status (single- 77.8% and separated-60%); residence (rural-79.4%); level of education (primary- 86.7% and no formal education-79.4%); gravidity (grand multigravida-100% and multigravida-94.4%); high parity (100%) and previous uneventful pregnancy (87.2%). Socioeconomic factors included: occupation (unemployment-76.9%); financial constraints (66.7%) and distance over 5 kilometers away from the hospital (85.7%). Late antenatal care attendance remains high among pregnant women indicating the need for intensified and more focused utilization of resources aimed at increasing sensitization on the importance of early booking and the holistic value of antenatal care should also be enhanced