Altraifi Ahmed Abdallah, Albasheer Osama, Abdelwahab Siddig Ibrahim, Chourasia Uma, Abdelmageed Maha Murtada, Hakami Ahlam Mohammed, Khormi Ali Hassan, Medani Isameldin Elamin, Ali Suhaila A, Habeeb Seham A, Shebaly Ghareeba Ahmed, Somaily Mosbah Mohammed, Harshan Samyah Mohamed, Ali Sirdab Maram, Hukma Sharifah Hamoud
Department of Obstetrics and gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia.
Department of Family and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia
BMJ Open. 2025 Aug 21;15(8):e088255. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2024-088255.
The postnatal period is critical for preventing maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality. Globally, a significant proportion of maternal and neonatal deaths occur within the first 6 weeks after delivery. Timely and adequate postnatal care (PNC) can detect and manage life-threatening complications; however, service utilisation remains alarmingly low in many low- and middle-income countries, including Saudi Arabia. Addressing the behavioural and perceptual factors that influence service use is essential for improving health outcomes.
This study aimed to assess mothers' utilisation of PNC services and examine how their health beliefs and sociodemographic characteristics influence this behaviour.
A cross-sectional study guided by the Health Belief Model (HBM) was conducted to explore predictors of PNC utilisation.
Eight primary healthcare (PHC) centres were randomly selected from 179 PHC centres distributed in the different governorates of the Jazan region of Saudi Arabia.
A total of 464 mothers were surveyed between October and December 2023 using an interviewer-administered questionnaire.
The primary outcome was PNC utilisation, defined by the number of postnatal visits. The independent variables included sociodemographic characteristics and HBM constructs (perceived susceptibility, benefits, barriers and cues to action).
In terms of PNC utilisation, 80.0% of participants had two or fewer postnatal visits, whereas 20.0% had three or more postnatal visits. Perceived barriers had the strongest influence (mean score 2.51±0.87), followed by cues to action (2.43±0.89), susceptibility (1.92±0.72) and benefits (1.86±0.64). In the multivariate analysis, perceived barriers, cues to action and perceived susceptibility were significantly associated with PNC utilisation, with adjusted ORs of 1.679 (95% CI: 1.007 to 2.799), 0.470 (95% CI: 0.256 to 0.863) and 0.405 (95% CI: 0.197 to 0.832), respectively.
PNC utilisation in the Jazan region remains suboptimal. Perceptual factors, particularly barriers and cues to action, play a central role in service use. Health interventions targeting these beliefs and improving follow-up mechanisms may help increase PNC engagement and improve maternal and infant health outcomes in Saudi Arabia.
产后时期对于预防孕产妇和新生儿发病及死亡至关重要。在全球范围内，很大一部分孕产妇和新生儿死亡发生在分娩后的前6周内。及时且充分的产后护理（PNC）能够检测和处理危及生命的并发症；然而，在包括沙特阿拉伯在内的许多低收入和中等收入国家，服务利用率仍然低得惊人。解决影响服务使用的行为和认知因素对于改善健康结果至关重要。
本研究旨在评估母亲对PNC服务的利用情况，并研究她们的健康信念和社会人口学特征如何影响这种行为。
开展了一项以健康信念模型（HBM）为指导的横断面研究，以探索PNC利用的预测因素。
从沙特阿拉伯吉赞地区不同省份分布的179个初级卫生保健（PHC）中心中随机选取了8个PHC中心。
2023年10月至12月期间，共对464名母亲进行了调查，使用的是访谈员 administered问卷。
主要结局是PNC利用情况，通过产后访视次数来定义。自变量包括社会人口学特征和HBM结构（感知易感性、益处、障碍和行动线索）。
在PNC利用方面，80.0%的参与者产后访视次数为两次或更少，而20.0%的参与者产后访视次数为三次或更多。感知障碍的影响最强（平均得分2.51±0.87），其次是行动线索（2.43±0.89）、易感性（1.92±0.72）和益处（1.86±0.64）。在多变量分析中，感知障碍、行动线索和感知易感性与PNC利用显著相关，调整后的OR分别为1.679（95%CI：1.007至2.799）、0.470（95%CI：0.256至0.863）和0.405（95%CI：0.197至0.832）。
吉赞地区的PNC利用情况仍然不理想。认知因素，特别是障碍和行动线索，在服务使用中起着核心作用。针对这些信念并改善随访机制的健康干预措施可能有助于提高沙特阿拉伯的PNC参与度，并改善母婴健康结局。
