J Korean Med Sci.  2019 Feb;34(7):e62. 10.3346/jkms.2019.34.e62.

What are the Barriers to Antenatal Care Utilization in Rufisque District, Senegal?: a Bottleneck Analysis

• Kim KH
• Choi JW
• Oh J
• Moon J
• You S
• Woo Y

• KMID: 2438310
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2019.34.e62

Abstract

BACKGROUND
This study aimed to analyze the barriers affecting the utilization of antenatal care (ANC) among Senegalese mothers.
METHODS
Health facility staffs were surveyed to examine the availability coverage of ANC (infrastructural capacity of health posts to handle maternal and newborn healthcare). A total of 113 women of childbearing age were surveyed to identify factors associated with the accessibility coverage (physical, economic, and information accessibility factors), acceptability coverage (socio-cultural features, social acceptance, and language), and effectiveness coverage (ratio of mothers having completed 4 visits) of ANC. Further, to identify the socio-cultural factors and the specific characteristics of the barriers, 5 focus group discussions were conducted with women of childbearing age, their husbands and mothers-in-law, community health workers, and health facility staff. The effectiveness coverage of ANC was analyzed by reviewing materials from the District Health Information System 2 of Senegal.
RESULTS
Key barriers of ANC utilization were associated with acceptability coverage. ANC during early pregnancy was avoided owing to the negative social stigma surrounding miscarriage. The survey results indicated an extremely high miscarriage rate of 30.9% among the participants. The social stigma towards unmarried mothers caused them to hide their pregnancy, which deterred ANC utilization. The husband was the final decision maker and social supporter on ANC utilization.
CONCLUSION
To promote the utilization of ANC services among pregnant women in Senegal, it is important to alleviate the social stigma towards miscarriages and unmarried mothers, and to provide greater social support for pregnancies and newborn deliveries within family.

Keyword

Senegal; Antenatal Care; Health Care Utilization; Maternal Health; Newborn Health

MeSH Terms

Abortion, Spontaneous
Community Health Workers
Female
Focus Groups
Health Facilities
Health Information Systems
Humans
Illegitimacy
Infant Health
Infant, Newborn
Maternal Health
Mothers
Patient Acceptance of Health Care
Pregnancy
Pregnant Women
Senegal*
Social Distance
Social Stigma
Spouses