Antenatal care services utilization and maternal birth outcomes among pregnant women in Wa municipality

It remains unclear if the benefits of antenatal care can be attributed to the amount and content of care received during pregnancy. Understanding the effects of antenatal care services utilisation on the maternal birth outcome is enormous. This is because the pathways through which the effects are obtained remain elusive. The study assessed the effects of antenatal care services utilization on maternal birth outcomes among pregnant women in the Wa Municipality. The study employed a retrospective cohort design. The study used the probability proportionate to size sampling to select the sub-district health catchment facilities while systematic random sampling was used to select respondents. Data was collected from 353 women based on the status of ANC utilization. The results revealed that educational status, maternal knowledge on the adequacy of 4+ ANC, score for general services received, number of Tetanus (TT) doses received and anaemia status at ANC registration were significant predictors of adequate ANC utilization in the study area. The prevalence of preterm deliveries and low birth weight were 36.3% and 7.1% respectively. Additionally, inadequate utilization of ANC, exposure to smoking and not receiving education on health and nutrition on possible danger signs and complications in pregnancy were predictors of preterm deliveries while Anaemia at 36 weeks gestation and exposure to smoking predicted low birth weight. The study concludes that inadequate ANC service utilisation is positively associated with to low and preterm births. The study recommends policies and initiatives that would increase maternal education on the health benefits of antenatal care with an emphasis on the pre-disposing risk factors such as smoking on birth outcomes.