FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH USE OF ANTENATAL CARE SERVICES IN A RURAL AREA OF BANGLADESH

Antenatal care (ANC), which includes care during pregnancy, should begin from the early stages of pregnancy. This study was conducted to assess the factors that determine the use ANC service in a selected rural area of Bangladesh. A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in Tangail district in Bangladesh. Postnatal mothers were randomly selected. The mean age of the respondents was 24 (SD=±4.4) years. Most (95.6%) women were housewives. Twenty-two percent of the respondents were from the poorest socioeconomic class. Mothers who had one living child had the highest percentage of adequate ANC use compared to those with other mothers who had two or more living children. Access to mass media (newspapers and TV) had a significant (p<0.001) and positive effect on ANC service use. The results of logistic regression showed that, after adjusting other factors, respondents who had primary-level education were nearly five times more likely to inadequate use of ANC compared to those who had higher level of education. The findings of the study supported that education of the mothers is an important determinant of ANC visits during pregnancy. Economic and educational improvements of poor mothers especially in health education through mass media should be strengthened to have a reinforcing effect on improved ANC service use.