Publications

Optimal antenatal care (ANC) plays a pivotal role in promoting maternal health and wellbeing,a standard healthcare service provided globally to expectant mothers, offeringessential health assessments and guidance throughout pregnancy, childbirth, and earlyparenthood. Timely initiation of ANC is crucial, commencing from the beginning ofpregnancy until childbirth. This study aimed to ascertain the timing of the first antenatalvisit, explore associated factors, and determine the proportion of pregnant womenadhering to the recommended schedule when attending antenatal care at KampalaInternational University Teaching Hospital in Bushenyi, Western Uganda. A hospital-basedcross-sectional observational and analytical study involved 220 randomly selectedparticipants from the antenatal clinic. Univariate, bivariate, and multivariate logisticregression analyses using STATA version 14.0 were conducted to identify factorsinfluencing the timing of the first antenatal visit. Odds ratios with 95% confidence intervalswere computed at the bivariate level, while adjusted odds ratios were calculated duringmultivariate analysis to determine independently significant factors. The mean age of theparticipants was 27 years, with a standard deviation of 6 years. The minimum age was 16years, while the maximum was 41 years. The average timing of the first antenatal visit wasat 18 weeks. Only 31.36% (69/220) of participants adhered to the recommended schedule,while 68.64% (151/220) initiated ANC later. Factors such as age, marital status, educationlevel, gravidity, planned pregnancy, attitude towards ANC, perception of health workers'attitudes, and waiting time were independently associated with the timing of the firstantenatal visit. This study revealed that a significant proportion of pregnant women in theclinic commenced ANC later than the WHO-recommended period, emphasizing the need toraise awareness about the optimal timing for ANC initiation. Additionally, factorscontributing to delayed initiation were identified, offering valuable insights for serviceproviders to focus on when promoting early ANC attendance