Publications

The study aimed to assess the factors influencing the attendance and utilization of antenatal care services amongpregnant women at Kiryandongo General Hospital in Uganda. The research was conducted using a descriptivecross-sectional study design, focusing on maternal, socio-demographic, and health facility factors. A total of 200pregnant women were included in the study. A semi-structured questionnaire was developed to collectquantitative data from pregnant mothers. Factors affecting attendance and utilization of antenatal care servicesincluded maternal-related factors such as age, education level, knowledge of ANC services, parity, sociodemographicfactors like marital status, number of dependents, male support, employment status, distance tohealth facilities, and ability to afford transportation costs, and health facility-related factors. This study revealsthat antenatal care attendance is low in Uganda. Factors influencing ANC attendance include age, educationallevel, parity, knowledge about ANC, number of dependents, marital status, partner involvement, partnereducational level, distance to the health center, waiting time, health education, attitude of health workers towardspregnant mothers, and perceived quality of ANC services. Mothers age and possession of higher education areassociated with higher ANC attendance. Socio-demographic factors also contribute to ANC attendance, withmarried mothers and housewives are more likely to attend ANC services. Health facility-related factors alsoinfluence ANC attendance, with mothers who receive health education, have a positive attitude from healthworkers, and have a positive perception of ANC services more likely to attend.