Birth Preparedness among Women and Factors Associated with Antenatal Care

Abstract

Reducing maternal mortality is the fifth goal among the millennium development goals and subsequent sustainable development goals. Complete antenatal care (ANC) and institutional delivery are two process indicators advised in all interventions related to reduction of maternal mortality. A study is conducted to know the ANC profile of the women and factors associated with it and their birth preparedness for delivery in a rural tribal area of Vikramgad taluka in the Indian state of Maharashtra.  A community-level descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among the women those who recently experienced delivery of baby. Simple random sampling method was used to select the respondents.  The result of the study shows women follow specific practices related to diet, personal hygiene, physical activity and rest with neonatal feeding and care practices in the month following delivery, to keep themselves and their baby healthy. The significant factors found to be associated with ANC visits were the age of the women ( p = 0.001), education ( p = 0.03), husband’s education ( p = 0.002), monthly household income ( p = 0.11) and distance of site of ANC from home in time measured in minutes ( p = 0.047).