Abstract

Paulina Ackley Akpan-Idiok* and Robinson-Bassey Grace

ABSTRACT

This is a retrospective study of influence of antenatal services utilization on morbidity and mortality of pregnant women in Odukpani Local Government Area. A total population of 574 pregnant women who received antenatal care in the two selected study settings were used for the study. To guide the study, three research questions and two hypotheses were formulated. A checklist was used to document data obtained from the hospital records obtained after due ethical approval for the study. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics of frequency and simple percentages to answer the research questions while inferential chi-square statistics was used to test the hypotheses. Results of the study revealed that many of the pregnant women delivered in the study settings, 447 (77.9%) underutilized the antenatal service. Out of the total of 127 (22.1%) who utilized effectively, 43(7.49%) did so in 2004; 5(8.88%) in 2005; 27(4.70%) in 2006 and 6(1.04%) in 2007. It also revealed that antenatal care services influenced maternal morbidity and mortality outcome in that, total morbidity during the period of study was 56(9.76%) while the maternal mortality was two (1.6%) only. Based on the findings, recommendation for measures to ensure effective antenatal care services utilization by pregnant women including intensive health education and focused antenatal care services as well as establishment of more mobile Clinic services were made.