Awareness and Use of Antenatal Care Services among Women in Edu LGA, Kwara State, Nigeria

Abstract

Objective: This study determines knowledge and utilization of antenatal care services among women in Edu Local Government Area, Nigeria. A descriptive cross sectional research design was used in this study. Two research questions were answered and one hypothesis was tested in this study. Methods: Researchers' designed questionnaire was used for data collection and a split-half test of reliability was used to determine the reliability of the instrument. Four hundred and eighty women of childbearing age were purposively sampled for the study. The results were analyzed using frequency and percentages to answer research questions. The t-test was used to test hypothesis at 0.05 level of significant. Result: The findings showed that women of childbearing age have very high knowledge and utilization of some antenatal care services, but demonstrated poor willingness to report pregnancy related problems and noncompletion of routine immunization schedules in Edu Local Government Area. Conclusion: Based on the findings, this study concludes that that there is a significant difference between knowledge and utilization of Antenatal care services among WCA in Edu LGA., however, women in Edu LGA have poor willingness to report early pregnancy related problems and non-completion of immunization schedules at the health centers as this pose a challenge and threat to both lives of the pregnant Woman and her unborn baby.