The relationship between perceived service quality of antenatal care and use among rural women in Ghana
International Journal of Social Economics
ISSN: 0306-8293
Article publication date: 27 March 2019
Issue publication date: 1 May 2019
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper was to examine rural women’s perceived quality of antenatal care (ANC) and its influence on the extent of ANC in the Amansie Central District in the Ashanti Region of Ghana.
Design/methodology/approach
A quantitative cross-sectional study was conducted with 120 women attending postnatal care at selected public health facilities. Structured interviews were used to obtain data. Crude odds ratio with 95% confidence interval (CI) was generated to determine the odds of women’s utilisation of ANC with their perceived service quality. The association between women’s background characteristics and ANC use was determined and assessed using Pearson’s χ2 (2) test.
Findings
Majority of the women (58.3 percent) utilised ANC for at least four times during pregnancy. Women’s education (p=0.027), religious affiliation (p=0.006), source of income (p=0.012) and insurance status (p=0.023) all had a positive relationship with ANC use. Women who perceived ANC quality as good were three times more likely to have four or more ANC visits than those who perceived quality as poor (OR= 3.042, 95% CI=0.181–0.647, p=0.001).
Originality/value
Ghana has had numerous policy interventions that address the accessibility and quality of ANC service. However, little is known about the extent to which they are observed and about the quality of service from users’ perspective. Most existing literature on ANC use in Ghana focusses on socio-economic factors that influence utilisation. This paper will be the first to examine the perceived quality of ANC provided, and its influence on the extent of ANC visits among rural women in Ghana.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
Conflicts of interest: The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest regarding the publication of this study. The authors appreciate the efforts of the postnatal mothers who participated in the study at the selected health facilities. The authors also thank the administrators of the selected health facilities where the study was conducted.
Citation
Osei Asibey, B., Boakye Dankwah, A. and Agyemang, S. (2019), "The relationship between perceived service quality of antenatal care and use among rural women in Ghana", International Journal of Social Economics, Vol. 46 No. 5, pp. 598-613. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSE-08-2017-0361
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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