Master, Public Health Department, Kandahar University, Kandahar, Afghanistan.
Assistant Professor, Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Kandahar University, Kandahar, Afghanistan.
Indian J Public Health. 2021 Jul-Sep;65(3):298-301. doi: 10.4103/ijph.IJPH_62_21.
Appropriate and timely care during pregnancy and delivery can improve maternal health. The present study aimed at determining factors associated with late antenatal care (ANC) initiation among pregnant women attending a comprehensive health clinic in Kandahar Province of Afghanistan. Of the 420 pregnant women, 281 (66.9%) presented late (>12 weeks) for their first ANC visit. The multivariable analysis showed that women with lack of knowledge on when to start ANC (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] =4.82; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.63-8.84), not planned last pregnancy (AOR = 3.07; 95% CI: 1.72-5.5), and no ANC visit in the past (AOR = 17.56; 95% CI: 5.89-52.3) were significantly associated with late ANC initiation. Cox and Snell R was 0.2 and Nagelkerke R was 0.4. This study has found high rates of late ANC initiation among pregnant women in the study area. The factors associated with late ANC initiation should be addressed to contribute to the reduction of late ANC initiation, and this in turn can improve maternal and fetal health.
适当和及时的孕期和分娩护理可以改善产妇的健康。本研究旨在确定在阿富汗坎大哈省一家综合健康诊所就诊的孕妇中，导致晚期产前护理（ANC）开始的相关因素。在 420 名孕妇中，有 281 名（66.9%）首次 ANC 就诊时间较晚（>12 周）。多变量分析显示，缺乏关于何时开始 ANC 的知识的妇女（调整后的优势比 [AOR] =4.82；95%置信区间 [CI]：2.63-8.84）、无计划上次妊娠（AOR = 3.07；95% CI：1.72-5.5）和过去没有 ANC 就诊（AOR = 17.56；95% CI：5.89-52.3）与晚期 ANC 开始显著相关。Cox 和 Snell R 为 0.2，Nagelkerke R 为 0.4。本研究发现，研究地区孕妇的晚期 ANC 开始率较高。应解决与晚期 ANC 开始相关的因素，以有助于减少晚期 ANC 的开始，这反过来又可以改善母婴健康。
