Factors Influencing Postnatal Care Utilization Among Women in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Scoping Review

Abstract

BACKGROUND:Considerable progress has been made globally in improving maternal and child health. However, Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and South Asia together accounted for 86% of all maternal deaths in the world during the 2000–2017 period. It is estimated that more than 60% of global maternal deaths occur during the postnatal period. The utilization of postnatal care (PNC) services remains low in SSA. This scoping review aimed to determine factors that influence PNC utilization among women in SSA.METHODS:Peer-reviewed articles published in English from 2018 to 2023 were searched from Google Scholar, ScienceDirect, MEDLINE, African Journals Online, SCOPUS, and PubMed databases. Two authors independently screened the articles and extracted the data.RESULTS:Thirty-nine articles were included in this review. Thirty-three of the studies were of a quantitative cross-sectional study design, four were mixed-methods, and two were qualitative studies. The review identified several enablers and barriers to PNC utilization among women, which were categorized into individual, community-level, and healthcare system factors. Some of the individual factors included the place of residence, marital status of the woman, employment status, educational level of both the woman and her partner, and household income. Health system factors included accessibility of healthcare facilities, availability of resources, and the quality of healthcare.CONCLUSION:To improve PNC utilization in SSA, several strategies should be implemented. These strategies should address issues such as women’s empowerment, accessibility of healthcare facilities, the quality of healthcare services, and healthcare services financing.