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Maternal and Child Health Journal
Published in: Maternal and Child Health Journal 11/2015

01-11-2015

Gestational Age at First Antenatal Care Visit in Malawi

Author: Paul Mkandawire

Published in: Maternal and Child Health Journal | Issue 11/2015

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Abstract

Objectives

This paper examines the gestational age at first antenatal care (ANC) visit and factors associated with timely initiation of ANC in Malawi in a context where maternal and child health services are generally provided for free.

Methods

Lognormal survival models are applied to Demographic and Health Survey data from a nationally representative sample of women (n = 13,588) of child-bearing age.

Results

The findings of this study show that less than 30 % of pregnant women initiate ANC within the World Health Organization recommended gestational timeframe of 16 weeks or earlier. The hazard analysis shows a gradient in the initiation of ANC by maternal education level, with least educated mothers most likely to delay their first ANC visit. However, after adjusting for variables capturing intimate partner violence in the multivariate models, the effect of maternal education attenuated and lost statistical significance. Other significant predictors of gestational age at first ANC include media exposure, perceived distance from health facility, age, and birth order.

Conclusions for Practice

The findings of the study link domestic violence directly with the gestational age at which mothers initiate ANC, suggesting that gender-based violence may operate through delayed initiation of ANC to undermine maternal and child health outcomes.
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Metadata
Title
Gestational Age at First Antenatal Care Visit in Malawi
Author
Paul Mkandawire
Publication date
01-11-2015
Publisher
Springer US
Published in
Maternal and Child Health Journal / Issue 11/2015
Print ISSN: 1092-7875
Electronic ISSN: 1573-6628
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-015-1754-6

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