AUTHOR=Sabo Abdulwali , Alzoubi Majdi M. , Saidu Abdulhamid Yaro , Usman Usman Sunusi , Saulawa Ibrahim Musa , Al-Mugheed Khalid , Farghaly Abdelaliem Sally Mohammed , Saeed Alabdullah Amany Anwar 

TITLE=Determinants of Utilization of Antenatal Care Services Among Women of Childbearing Age in Jigawa State, Nigeria

JOURNAL=International Journal of Public Health

VOLUME=69

YEAR=2024

URL=https://www.ssph-journal.org/journals/international-journal-of-public-health/articles/10.3389/ijph.2024.1607385

DOI=10.3389/ijph.2024.1607385

ISSN=1661-8564

ABSTRACT=<sec><title>Introduction</title><p>Antenatal care (ANC) services play a crucial role in safeguarding the health of pregnant women during their reproductive years. This study aimed to evaluate the primary factors influencing the utilization of ANC among women of childbearing age in Isari town, Jigawa State.</p></sec><sec><title>Methods</title><p>We conducted a cross-sectional study among 400 mothers of childbearing age, selecting them using a simple random sampling method. Data were collected using interviewer-administered questionnaires. The statistical analyses performed were descriptive analysis, Pearson’s chi-square test, and binary logistic regression analysis.</p></sec><sec><title>Results</title><p>The majority of respondents (92.5%) indicated awareness of ANC, with a significant proportion expressing the necessity of ANC services (85.7%). 57.8% of the respondents indicated attending ANC services at least four times during pregnancy. Furthermore, the number of visits has a significant relationship with age (<italic>P</italic> &lt; 0.001), educational level (<italic>P</italic> = 0.003), occupation (<italic>P</italic> = 0.043), mother’s knowledge of pregnancy danger signs (<italic>P</italic> = 0.001), and husband’s support for ANC (<italic>P</italic> &lt; 0.001).</p></sec><sec><title>Conclusion</title><p>Enhancing ANC utilization will necessitate focusing on women residing in rural areas and those with limited educational attainment.</p></sec>