Antenatal Care Practices: A Population-Based Multicenter Study from Saudi Arabia
Saleh F Alqifari Pharmacy Practice Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Tabuk, Tabuk, 47512, Saudi ArabiaCorrespondence: Saleh F Alqifari, Pharmacy Practice Department, College of Pharmacy, University of Tabuk, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, Tel +966532544334, Email salqifari@ut.edu.saBackground: An...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Dove Medical Press
2024-03-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Women's Health |
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| Online Access: | https://www.dovepress.com/antenatal-care-practices-a-population-based-multicenter-study-from-sau-peer-reviewed-fulltext-article-IJWH |
| _version_ | 1797279399936000000 |
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| author | Alqifari SF |
| author_facet | Alqifari SF |
| author_sort | Alqifari SF |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Saleh F Alqifari Pharmacy Practice Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Tabuk, Tabuk, 47512, Saudi ArabiaCorrespondence: Saleh F Alqifari, Pharmacy Practice Department, College of Pharmacy, University of Tabuk, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, Tel +966532544334, Email salqifari@ut.edu.saBackground: Antenatal care (ANC) is the care women receive during pregnancy before birth and represents a cornerstone of maternal and child health. Previously, Saudi women faced various barriers to practicing ANC, including challenges related to transportation, low maternal education, poor communication with healthcare centers, and incorrect maternal beliefs. In line with Saudi Vision 2030, this multicenter cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the timing of ANC contact, coverage of service utilization in public hospitals among Saudi mothers, sociodemographic factors and antenatal health care utilization, and beliefs about prenatal vitamins, and supplement use among pregnant Saudi women.Methods: Data was collected from 1230 pregnant women across 11 Ministry of Health (MOH) facilities. The study assessed the timing of ANC initiation, beliefs about prenatal vitamins, and the use of folic acid, calcium, and iron during pregnancy. Chi-square tests were employed to analyze associations between variables.Results: The findings revealed that 14.55% of participants initiated ANC within the first 8 weeks of pregnancy, with 85.44% starting later. However, the majority 88.78% received prenatal care during pregnancy, regardless of the timing of ANC initiation. Beliefs about prenatal vitamins varied, with 20.08% agreeing that prenatal vitamins were only indicated for malnourished mothers, 72.35% disagreeing, and 7.56% uncertain. Moreover, 51.30% believed ANC should begin before pregnancy, 29.83% after pregnancy confirmation, and 13.57% during the first trimester, with no significant correlation between beliefs and ANC timing. Regarding prenatal care, 95.20% would recommend starting prenatal care with every pregnancy, regardless of the timing of their own ANC initiation.Conclusion: This study offers a comprehensive analysis of factors impacting late ANC contact and inadequate ANC contacts among pregnant Saudi women. These findings contribute to the broader understanding of ANC practices among Saudi women and underscore the importance of considering various determinants for tailored interventions and health education programs.Keywords: antenatal care, pregnancy complications, inadequate ANC, late ANC, prenatal care |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T16:24:46Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-88bd4844158440b2a91ce8c89a56b259 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1179-1411 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T16:24:46Z |
| publishDate | 2024-03-01 |
| publisher | Dove Medical Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Journal of Women's Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-88bd4844158440b2a91ce8c89a56b2592024-03-03T18:36:48ZengDove Medical PressInternational Journal of Women's Health1179-14112024-03-01Volume 1633134390865Antenatal Care Practices: A Population-Based Multicenter Study from Saudi ArabiaAlqifari SFSaleh F Alqifari Pharmacy Practice Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Tabuk, Tabuk, 47512, Saudi ArabiaCorrespondence: Saleh F Alqifari, Pharmacy Practice Department, College of Pharmacy, University of Tabuk, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, Tel +966532544334, Email salqifari@ut.edu.saBackground: Antenatal care (ANC) is the care women receive during pregnancy before birth and represents a cornerstone of maternal and child health. Previously, Saudi women faced various barriers to practicing ANC, including challenges related to transportation, low maternal education, poor communication with healthcare centers, and incorrect maternal beliefs. In line with Saudi Vision 2030, this multicenter cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the timing of ANC contact, coverage of service utilization in public hospitals among Saudi mothers, sociodemographic factors and antenatal health care utilization, and beliefs about prenatal vitamins, and supplement use among pregnant Saudi women.Methods: Data was collected from 1230 pregnant women across 11 Ministry of Health (MOH) facilities. The study assessed the timing of ANC initiation, beliefs about prenatal vitamins, and the use of folic acid, calcium, and iron during pregnancy. Chi-square tests were employed to analyze associations between variables.Results: The findings revealed that 14.55% of participants initiated ANC within the first 8 weeks of pregnancy, with 85.44% starting later. However, the majority 88.78% received prenatal care during pregnancy, regardless of the timing of ANC initiation. Beliefs about prenatal vitamins varied, with 20.08% agreeing that prenatal vitamins were only indicated for malnourished mothers, 72.35% disagreeing, and 7.56% uncertain. Moreover, 51.30% believed ANC should begin before pregnancy, 29.83% after pregnancy confirmation, and 13.57% during the first trimester, with no significant correlation between beliefs and ANC timing. Regarding prenatal care, 95.20% would recommend starting prenatal care with every pregnancy, regardless of the timing of their own ANC initiation.Conclusion: This study offers a comprehensive analysis of factors impacting late ANC contact and inadequate ANC contacts among pregnant Saudi women. These findings contribute to the broader understanding of ANC practices among Saudi women and underscore the importance of considering various determinants for tailored interventions and health education programs.Keywords: antenatal care, pregnancy complications, inadequate ANC, late ANC, prenatal carehttps://www.dovepress.com/antenatal-care-practices-a-population-based-multicenter-study-from-sau-peer-reviewed-fulltext-article-IJWHantenatal carepregnancy complicationsinadequate anclate ancprenatal care |
| spellingShingle | Alqifari SF Antenatal Care Practices: A Population-Based Multicenter Study from Saudi Arabia International Journal of Women's Health antenatal care pregnancy complications inadequate anc late anc prenatal care |
| title | Antenatal Care Practices: A Population-Based Multicenter Study from Saudi Arabia |
| title_full | Antenatal Care Practices: A Population-Based Multicenter Study from Saudi Arabia |
| title_fullStr | Antenatal Care Practices: A Population-Based Multicenter Study from Saudi Arabia |
| title_full_unstemmed | Antenatal Care Practices: A Population-Based Multicenter Study from Saudi Arabia |
| title_short | Antenatal Care Practices: A Population-Based Multicenter Study from Saudi Arabia |
| title_sort | antenatal care practices a population based multicenter study from saudi arabia |
| topic | antenatal care pregnancy complications inadequate anc late anc prenatal care |
| url | https://www.dovepress.com/antenatal-care-practices-a-population-based-multicenter-study-from-sau-peer-reviewed-fulltext-article-IJWH |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT alqifarisf antenatalcarepracticesapopulationbasedmulticenterstudyfromsaudiarabia |