Determinants De La Frequentation Tardive Des Services De Soins Prenatals Dans Le District De Santé De Ngaoundéré Urbain

Introduction:Antenatal care has been recognized to contribute to the reduction of maternal and neonatal mortality. However, it must be of good quality, on time and in sufficient numbers. Globally, in Africa and in Cameroon, women arrive late for antenatal care. The objective of our study was to identify and analyze the determinants of late attendance at antenatal care services in the Ngaoundere urban health district.

Methods:Our study took place from the 20th of March to the 30th of November 2021. It enrolled 717 pregnant women attending antenatal clinic in health facilities in the Ngaoudere urban health district. We conducted a descriptive and analytical study. Socio-demographic, socio-cultural, economic and institutional data were collected using CSPRO software and then exported for compilation and analysis using SPSS software. Group comparison was calculated with the chi-square with significance level
(P<0.05). SPAD software was used to identify the determinants of women’s late attendance at antenatal clinics.

Results: In general, women who came late (from the second trimester onwards during ANCs were mostly) unmarried (p ≈ 0.00) and had at most primary education, Christian religion (p= 0.015), civil servant, or trader. They were not satisfied with the amount of ANC services and did not want the pregnancy (p=0.03). They thought that complications do not occur during the first three months of the pregnancy and the initiative to go to ANC services came from their partner (p ≈ 0.00). In addition, the spouse’s level of education, being over 40 years of age, multiparity and low level of knowledge about
ANC (p ≈ 0.00) increase the probability of late ANC visits.

Conclusion: Finally, the identification of the main determinants of this delay prompts the promotion of targeted strategies, with a view to influencing the behaviour and attitudes of pregnant women, the reinforcement of awareness-raising sessions both in the community and in the media, and above all the strengthening of the capacities of the providers in charge of this ANC.