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
. 2025 Jan 22;25(1):58.
doi: 10.1186/s12884-025-07161-7.

Correlates of maternal health services utilization among adolescent mothers in Ghana: analysis of Ghana maternal health survey 2017

Anita Anima Daniels  1 , Emmanuel Anongeba Anaba  2 , Obed Ernest A Nettey  3
Affiliations

Correlates of maternal health services utilization among adolescent mothers in Ghana: analysis of Ghana maternal health survey 2017

Anita Anima Daniels et al. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. .

Abstract

Background: The prevalence of adolescent pregnancy is high in developing countries and poses a public health threat. This study aimed to assess the coverage and correlates of optimal ANC visits, early initiation of ANC visits, assisted delivery and health facility delivery among adolescent mothers.

Methods: We analysed data from the 2017 Ghana Maternal Health Survey (GMHS), using a sample of 567 (weighted) and 527 (unweighted) adolescent mothers with at least one live birth or stillbirth in the five (5) years preceding the survey.

Results: Most participants obtained four or more ANC visits, accessed health facility delivery and assisted delivery. Half (50%) of the participants initiated ANC visits in the first trimester. Less than half (39%) of the participants utilized all four maternal health services optimally. Utilization of maternal health services was associated with predisposing factors (age and parity) and enabling factors (wealth index, health insurance, permission to seek care). For instance, adolescent mothers aged 18-19 years (AOR = 1.65, 95% CI: 1.01-2.70) had increased odds of early initiation compared to those aged 15-17 years. Adolescent mothers who were uninsured (AOR = 0.30, 95% CI: 0.15-0.63) were less likely to obtain optimal ANC visits than insured mothers. Adolescent mothers in the middle wealth index (AOR = 1.97, 95% CI: 1.06-3.63) were about twice more likely to utilize all the four maternal health services compared to those in the lowest wealth index.

Conclusion: This study has demonstrated that adolescent utilization of ANC visits, health facility delivery and skilled delivery were satisfactory. However, ANC initiation and optimal utilization of the recommended maternal health services were unsatisfactory. Utilization of the maternal health services was determined by predisposing factors such as age and parity as well as enabling factors including health insurance coverage, permission for treatment and wealth index.

Keywords: Adolescent mothers; Antenatal care; Delivery services; Ghana; Maternal health services; Maternal health survey.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: The Ghana Health Service Ethics Review Committee approved the protocols for the 2017 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey. Informed consent was obtained from all adult participants and for participants aged 15–17 years, informed consent was obtained from their parents or legal guardians. A formal request to use the raw data was made to The DHS Program through their website ( https://dhsprogram.com/data/ available-​datasets.cfm). The study was performed in accordance with relevant regulations and guidelines. Data used in this study were anonymised before use. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Conceptual framework adapted from Andersen’s behavioral model of healthcare utilization
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Yamey G, Shretta R, Binka FN. The 2030 sustainable development goal for health. BMJ. 2014;349. - PubMed
    1. UNICEF, UNFPA. Trends in maternal mortality 2000 to 2017: estimates by WHO. World Bank Group and the United Nations Population Division; 2019.
    1. Singh PK, Singh L, Kumar C, Rai RK. Correlates of maternal healthcare service utilisation among adolescent women in Mali: analysis of a nationally representative cross-sectional survey, 2006. J Public Health. 2013;21:15–27.
    1. Louis B, Steven B, Margret N, Ronald N, Emmanuel L, Tadeo N, Namagembe I, Kasangaki A, Cecily B. Prevalence and factors associated with low birth weight among teenage mothers in new Mulago hospital: a cross sectional study. J Health Sci. 2016;4:192. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Owolabi OO, Wong KL, Dennis ML, Radovich E, Cavallaro FL, Lynch CA, Fatusi A, Sombie I, Benova L. Comparing the use and content of antenatal care in adolescent and older first-time mothers in 13 countries of West Africa: a cross-sectional analysis of demographic and health surveys. Lancet Child Adolesc Health. 2017;1(3):203–12. - PubMed

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources