UTILIZATION OF PRECONCEPTION CARE AND ITS ASSOCIATED FACTORS AMONG MOTHERS IN BAHIR DAR CITY, NORTHWEST ETHIOPIA, 2023

Abstract

Abstract Introduction: Maternal and child morbidity and mortality continue to be major public health problems worldwide, especially in developing countries. In Ethiopia, though progresses have been observed, maternal and neonatal mortality is one of the highest in Africa. Although preconception care has numerous benefits for enhancing maternal and infant health outcomes, evidences showed that its utilization among women of reproductive age in Ethiopia is low and inconsistent. Objective: To assess preconception care utilization level and associated factors among mothers who had given birth within the last 12 months in Bahir Dar City, Northwest Ethiopia. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among women who had given birth within the last 12 months (May 1, 2022 to April 30, 2023) in Bahir Dar City. A multistage sampling technique was employed to select a total of 504 mothers. Face-to-face interviews were used to gather data, and a pre-tested, structured questionnaire was used. Data were entered into Epi Info version 7.2.4 and exported to Statistical Software Package for Social Sciences version 26 for analysis. Binary logistic regression was applied to identify the factors associated with the dependent variable. A variable was regarded as statistically significant if its adjusted odds ratio and 95% confidence interval had a p-value of less than 0.05. Result: A total of 119 (24.1%) mothers utilized preconception care for their last pregnancy out of the 494 recently (in the last 12 months) delivered mothers interviewed. Mothers’ educational level of secondary school (AOR=4.74; 95% CI: 1.43, 15.75) and diploma or above (AOR=4.51; 95% CI: 1.43, 14.22), household monthly income (AOR=4.66; 95% CI: 1.81, 11.99), prior ANC follow-up (AOR=5.01; 95% CI: 1.23, 20.44), previous adverse pregnancy outcome (AOR=2.81; 95% CI: 1.28, 6.18), husband support (AOR=5.46; 95% CI: 2.85, 10.49), knowledge about preconception care (AOR=2.88; 95% CI: 1.44, 5.78), adequate medication availability (AOR=3.85; 95% CI: 1.33, 11.08) and chronic health problems (AOR=6.03; 95% CI: 2.25, 16.19) showed statistically significant association with utilization of preconception care. Conclusion: This study revealed that the level of preconception care utilization among women in the study area is low. There is a need to expand health education, establish separate preconception care units, and develop a preconception care guideline to increase its uptake and ultimately improve pregnancy outcomes.