Department of Economics, Faculty of Economic Management and Business Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch.
Afr J Prim Health Care Fam Med. 2024 Feb 13;16(1):e1-e10. doi: 10.4102/phcfm.v16i1.4192.
Late antenatal care (ANC)-seeking among pregnant adolescents threatens their health outcomes, and the health outcomes of their new-borns. South Africa has experienced a rapid increase in adolescent pregnancies during the COVID-19 pandemic, adding to the existing concerns around adolescent pregnancy care-seeking behaviour.
The main aim of this study was to investigate the causes and covariates of late ANC access among adolescents in the Cape Town Metropole, South Africa.
Three public healthcare facilities in the Cape Town Metropole, 2018-2019.
A retrospective, cross-sectional study on ANC seeking behaviour was conducted, surveying 202 adolescents. Late attendance was defined as attending ≥ 3 months. For this study, adolescents were defined as women aged 16-18 years. The sample was restricted to adolescents who used public healthcare facilities or who did not attend at all. Data were analysed using univariate, bivariate and multivariate methods.
A total of 50.8% (n = 99/195) of the pregnant adolescents in the sample had their first ANC visit 3 months. 14.9% (n = 29/195) did not attend at all. Major contributors to delayed care-seeking include poor pregnancy identification (n = 45/99, 45.5%), and a lack of information about ANC. Age, education, and alcohol consumption were significant predictors of delayed care-seeking.
Delayed ANC attendance contributes to negative long-term health outcomes for pregnant adolescents and their new-borns. Improving access to pregnancy tests in the public sector could benefit adolescents with earlier pregnancy identification. Adolescents need to be made aware of their care seeking options.Contribution: There is evidence of long-term health impacts of late ANC attendance by pregnant adolescents, but there is an absence of evidence on the timing and barriers of late care-seeking behaviour. In this study, late ANC attendance among adolescents was associated with late pregnancy identification and poor knowledge of care options.
晚期产前保健（ANC）寻求会威胁到青少年及其新生儿的健康。在 COVID-19 大流行期间，南非的青少年怀孕率迅速上升，这增加了人们对青少年怀孕寻求护理行为的担忧。
本研究的主要目的是调查南非开普敦大都市地区青少年晚期 ANC 就诊的原因和协变量。
2018-2019 年，开普敦大都市的三家公立医疗保健机构。
对 ANC 寻求行为进行了回顾性、横断面研究，调查了 202 名青少年。晚期就诊被定义为就诊时间≥3 个月。在这项研究中，青少年被定义为年龄在 16-18 岁的女性。该样本仅限于使用公共医疗保健设施或根本不就诊的青少年。使用单变量、双变量和多变量方法进行数据分析。
在样本中，共有 50.8%（n=99/195）的孕妇首次 ANC 就诊时间为 3 个月。14.9%（n=29/195）根本没有就诊。延迟护理寻求的主要原因包括怀孕识别不佳（n=45/99，45.5%）和缺乏 ANC 信息。年龄、教育程度和饮酒是延迟护理寻求的重要预测因素。
晚期 ANC 就诊会对孕妇和新生儿的长期健康产生负面影响。改善公共部门的妊娠测试获取渠道可以使更早识别怀孕的青少年受益。需要让青少年了解他们的护理选择。
有证据表明，晚期 ANC 就诊会对孕妇青少年的长期健康产生影响，但缺乏关于晚期护理寻求行为的时间和障碍的证据。在这项研究中，青少年晚期 ANC 就诊与晚期妊娠识别和护理选择知识差有关。
