Date of Conferral

1-2021

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Public Health

Advisor

Katie Callahan-Myrick

Abstract

Researchers have demonstrated a significant relationship between antenatal care (ANC) attendance and pregnant women’s sociodemographic characteristics. What has not been clearly studied is the relationship between ANC attendance and pregnant women’s perceptions about conditions such as preeclampsia (PE) that could affect their pregnancies. ANC could facilitate the timely management of these conditions, ultimately improving the outcomes for PE affected women. In this study the relationship between pregnant women’s perceptions about PE and their ANC attendance was examined. Guided by the health belief model (HBM), the research questions were used to explore the associations between four HBM constructs (perceived susceptibility, severity, benefits, and barriers) in relation to PE as the independent variables, and compliance with ANC visits among ANC attendees in Northwestern Nigeria as the dependent variable. Two hundred and twenty-one pregnant women were selected consecutively from three health centers in the zone. A researcher-validated questionnaire was used to collect data about the study variables which were tested using multivariate logistic regression. Women who booked for ANC at 16 – 21 weeks of gestation were 8.82 times (CI: 3.72 – 20.96) more likely to achieve compliance with their visits compared to women who booked after 28 weeks of gestation. However, the association between the independent variables and ANC attendance was not statistically significant. The results from this study could guide interventions to improve ANC attendance among pregnant women, which could make it possible to detect and manage PE early, leading to a positive social change through improved health outcomes for both the mother and the baby.

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