Antenatal care procedures and information reported by women in three rural areas of Vietnam

Abstract

The objective was to identify factors related to antenatal care (ANC) procedures and information reported by women in Long An, Ben Tre, and Quang Ngai Provinces. Cross-sectional surveys were conducted. Women who had ANC during a previous pregnancy were asked if they had received any of 13 procedures and information. The Donabedian quality of health model was used to select potential related factors. Data from 857 women were available for analyses. Only 24% of the women reported ten items or more. The mean number of items reported was seven. Factors related to reporting fewer items were living in Quang Ngai (OR = 0.3, 95% Cl = 0.2-0.6), having ANC at private facilities (OR = 0.4, 95% Cl = 0.2-0.7), having ANC delivered by nurses or assistant doctors (OR = 0.6, 95% Cl = 0.3-0.9), and unplanned pregnancy (OR = 0.5, 95% Cl = 0.3-0.9). Factors related to reporting more items were being housewives (OR = 1.7, 95% Cl = 1.0-2.8), consumption of iron/folate tablets (OR = 4.2, 95% Cl = 2.2-8.2), more use of ANC services (OR = 2.1, 95% Cl = 1.4-3.2 for sufficient utilization and OR = 3.8, 95% Cl = 2.1-7.0 for sufficient plus), more perceived helpfulness of ANC (OR = 3.0, 95% Cl = 1.9-4.8) and high satisfaction with ANC received (OR = 1.6, 95% Cl = 1.0-2.6). The most effective interventions would be to improve the quality of health facilities and of ANC providers, and to educate women to make sufficient number of ANC visits and to seek ANC from qualified ANC providers.