Challenges Faced by Pregnant Women in Utilizing Antenatal Care Services

Background: Utilization of antenatal care services is very important for the health of mother as well as the child. However, most of pregnant women in Pakistan fail to utilize those services due to various challenges. Objectives : To identify barriers faced by pregnant females in seeking antenatal care services in Lahore, Pakistan. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Public hospitals of Lahore, over a period of 1 month from June 1 to June 30. A sample size of 99 pregnant females in their third trimester from all social backgrounds was taken. A chi-square test was used for analysis. Results: The mean age of women was 29±5 years with 66% from urban side. Most of them women had completed higher secondary education i.e. 35%, and their spouse income was under 50k rupees i.e. 87%. The non-utilization of care was observed in 20% women, partial utilization of antenatal care was observed in 50% women and complete utilization of antenatal care was observed in 30% women. The most important variables found to be challenges for utilization of antenatal care services were prenatal care awareness (p=0.001), nearby (p=0.000), transportation issues (p=0.013), availability of skilled workers (p=0.023), adequate info about pregnancy (p=0.044), awareness of regular checkups (p=0.001), community support groups (p=0.002), and referral to specialist (p=0.013) Conclusion: In our study, , it was observed that a large percentage of women don't avail antenatal care services completely, i.e. 20 % of them don't utilize antenatal services at all and 50 % only utilize them partially. The most significant challenges faced by pregnant women in utilization of antenatal care services were prenatal care awareness, nearby facilities for antenatal care, transportation issues, availability of skilled workers, adequate awareness about importance of regular checkups, and lack of community support groups, and referral to specialists.