Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2020 Oct 13;17(20):7430.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph17207430.

Preconception Care among Pregnant Women in an Urban and a Rural Health Facility in Kenya: A Quantitative Study

Joan Okemo  1 , Marleen Temmerman  1 , Mukaindo Mwaniki  1 , Dorothy Kamya  2
Affiliations

Preconception Care among Pregnant Women in an Urban and a Rural Health Facility in Kenya: A Quantitative Study

Joan Okemo et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Preconception care (PCC) aims to improve maternal and fetal health outcomes, however, its utilization remains low in developing countries. This pilot study assesses the level and determinants of PCC in an urban and a rural health facility in Kenya. Unselected pregnant women were recruited consecutively at the Mother and Child Health (MCH) clinics in Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi (AKUH, N-urban) and Maragua Level Four Hospital (MLFH-rural). The utilization of PCC was defined as contact with any health care provider before current pregnancy and addressing pregnancy planning and preparation. A cross-sectional approach was employed and data were analyzed using SPSS version 22. 194 participants were recruited (97 in each setting) of whom, 25.8% received PCC. Age, marital status, education, parity and occupation were significant determinants of PCC uptake. There was also a significant difference in PCC uptake between the rural (16.5%) and urban (35.1%) participants (p < 0.01), OR of 0.3 (0.19-0.72, 95% CI). The low level of PCC in Kenya revealed in this study is consistent with the low levels globally. However, this study was not powered to allow firm conclusions and analyze the true effects of PCC determinants. Therefore, further research in the field is recommended in order to inform strategies for increasing PCC utilization and awareness in Kenya.

Keywords: Kenya; determinants; level; preconception care; rural; urban; utilization.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Preconception care (PCC) utilization in the two study sites.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. World Health Organization . Meeting to Develop a Global Consensus on Preconception Care to Reduce Maternal and Childhood Mortality and Morbidity: World Health Organization Headquarters, Geneva, 6–7 February 2012. World Health Organization; Geneva, Switzerland: 2013. Meeting Report, 2013.
    1. Say L., Chou D., Gemmill A., Tunçalp Ö., Moller A.-B., Daniels J., Gülmezoglu A.M., Temmerman M., Alkema L. Global causes of maternal death: A WHO systematic analysis. Lancet Glob Health. 2014;2:e323–e333. doi: 10.1016/S2214-109X(14)70227-X. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Jack B.W., Atrash H., Coonrod D.V., Moos M.-K., O’Donnell J., Johnson K. The clinical content of preconception care: An overview and preparation of this supplement. Am. J. Obstet. Gynecol. 2008;199:S266–S279. doi: 10.1016/j.ajog.2008.07.067. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation . National Reproductive Health Strategy 2009–2015. Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation; Nairobi, Kenya: 2009.
    1. Demographic K. Health Survey 2014: Key Indicators. Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) and ICF Macro; Nairobi, Kenya: 2014.

Publication types