Barriers to Antenatal Care Utilization among Pregnant Women in the Southeastern Region of Afghanistan
Keywords: Antenatal care, barriers, maternal health, prenatal care, southeastern region.
Sharif Ahmad Habib Ahmadzai
Abstract
Antenatal care (ANC), also known as prenatal care that protect pregnant woman and newcoming baby. ANC are effective when the quality is high, comprehensive, initiated early and continued regularly each month until delivery. Although ANC is provided free of cost in Afghanistan, the level of utilization remains very low. Identifying barriers to ANC utilization and suggesting solutions will help the health managers, policymakers and other stakeholders in developing plans to improve access for the mothers, increase utilization and finally reduce maternal and child mortality. This study used data of 1,654 mothers and found that ANC utilization in the southeastern region was 48.9%. The main reported barriers include transportation problems, perception of care was unnecessary, and uncustomary, long distance, lack of money and the absence of female health workers.
