Preconception Care Utilization and Associated Factors among Pregnant Mothers Attending Antenatal Care Follow-Up of Federal Police Hospital, Ethiopia 2023

Abstract

Meskerem Gudeta, Fikirte Woldeselassie and Chala Getaneh*

Background: Preconception care is taking care to women and couples before conception occurs. It has a positive impact on reduction in maternal mortality and decreases the risk of adverse pregnancy outcome and aimed at improving women’s health status, reducing behaviors, individual environmental factors. The existing interventions strategies are too late to prevent Adverse Pregnancy Outcome. Those services are given after the conception happened and the women aware that she is pregnant.

Objective: Study was aimed to assess preconception care Utilization and associated factors among pregnant women attending Antenatal care at Ethiopian Federal Police Hospital from August20-september15/2023.

Methods: A cross-sectional study design was used among 398 pregnant women systematically selected at Ethiopian Federal Police Hospital. Data entry was done into Epi-data version 3.1and exported to SPSS version 25.0 for analysis using p–value <0.05 at 95% CI was statistically significant. Bivariable analysis was performed using binary logistic regression; at (P< 0.25) was a criterion to select candidate variables for multivariable analysis. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to adjust for possible confounding variables at P-value <0.05, at 95% CI was used in judging the Statistical significance of the association.

Result: This study found that 19.1% of the study participants had utilized preconception care. Factors found to be show association with women’s preconception care utilization were partner support (AOR=2.004,at 95% CI 1.104-3.638) previous history of obstetric problem(AOR=2.290 at 95% CI, 1.219-4.303),diagnosed for Anemia(AOR=0.187, at 95% CI, 0.046-0.770), knowledge on preconception care utilization (AOR=2.753,at 95% CI, 1.522-4.98),Women who were advised on preconception care utilization(AOR=6.123, at 95% CI, 2.709-13.843) and unwillingness of health care providers to give services (AOR=0.436,at 95% CI, 0.218-0.871) were factors significantly associated with preconception care utilization.

Conclusion: preconception care utilization was low and partner support, previous history of obstetric problem, knowledge, getting an advice, unwillingness of service provider and being diagnosed for anemia were significantly associated with preconception care utilization.

Recommendation: Integrating preconception care utilization with other maternal health services, improving women’s/ partiers’ knowledge and strengthening pre-pregnancy counseling services is crucial.

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