Do women empowerment indicators predict receipt of quality antenatal care in Cameroon? Evidence from a nationwide survey

Abstract

Background World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends quality antenatal care (ANC) for all pregnant women, as one of the strategies for achieving targets 3.1 and 3.2 of the sustainable development goals. Maternal mortality ratio remains high in Cameroon (782 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births). Extant literature suggest a positive association between women empowerment indicators and maternal healthcare utilisation in general. In Cameroon, this association has not received scholarly attention. To fill this knowledge gap, we investigated the association between women empowerment indicators and quality ANC in Cameroon. Methods Data of 4615 women of reproductive age were analysed from the women’s file of the 2018 Cameroon Demographic and Health Survey. Quality ANC (measured by six indicators) was the outcome of interest. Binary Logistic Regression was conducted. All results of the Binary Logistic Regression analysis were presented as adjusted odds ratios (aORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). All analyses were done using Stata version 14. Results In all, 13.5% of the respondents received quality ANC. Women with low knowledge level (aOR = 0.66, CI 0.45, 0.98) had a lesser likelihood of receiving quality ANC compared to those with medium knowledge level. Women who highly approved wife beating (aOR = 0.54, CI 0.35, 0.83) had lesser odds of receiving quality ANC compared to those with low approval of wife beating. Conclusion The study has pointed to the need for multifaceted approaches aimed at enhancing the knowledge base of women. The Ministry of Public Health should collaborate and intensify female’s reproductive health education. The study suggests that women advocacy and maternal healthcare interventions in Cameroon must strive to identify women who approve of wife beating and motivate them to disapprove all forms of violence.

Factors associated with utilization of quality antenatal care: a secondary data analysis of Rwandan Demographic Health Survey 2020

“…In 2019, Benova et al, analyzed DHS data from 10 LMICs’s, which showed that Rwanda’s current proportion of women receiving all ANC components is higher than Nigeria’s (6.7%), close to that of Democratic Republic of Congo (12.6%) and lower than that of Zambia (21.8%) [ 12 ]. However, the proportion is similar to that observed in a study based on Cameroon's most recent DHS data (13.5%) [ 26 ]. Although components such as having a blood sample taken, blood pressure measured, urine sample taken and receiving iron tablets/syrups were utilized by over 80% of the women (95.5%, 87.4%, 82.6% and 80.6% respectively), having at least two tetanus injections (33.6%) and receiving drugs for intestinal parasites (43%) were highly underutilized.…”

“…Women who obtain 4 or more ANC visits have more contact with healthcare providers which renders them more likely to receive extensive health education and the best possible care [ 45 , 46 ]. Invariably, 4 or more ANC attendance is an indication of a woman’s consciousness and commitment to her wellbeing in pregnancy [ 6 , 26 ]. Additionally, frequent contact between the skilled provider and the pregnant woman helps in the development of good rapport between the two, enhances women’s familiarity with the health system, builds trust and confidence in the services received [ 47 ].…”

Association Between Compliance With the New WHO-Recommended Frequency and Timing of Antenatal Care Contacts and Receiving Quality Antenatal Care in Cameroon

“…In line with previous research (Afulani, 2016;Agha & Tappis, 2016;Ameyaw et al, 2021;Carvajal-Aguirre et al, 2017;Mugo et al, 2020), we discovered that the number of children ever born, marital status, region, and wealth quintile were all related to the quality of care received. Wealth has been linked to timely ANC contact and a greater number of ANC contacts, both of which increase the likelihood of receiving a greater number of ANC components during pregnancy (Ahinkorah et al, 2021;Jiwani et al, 2020;Mugo et al, 2020).…”

“…Overall, 28% of women received the full set of interventions, which is slightly higher than the 14% reported by Ameyaw et al. (2021) in the same setting when they examined the relationship between women’s empowerment indicators and receiving quality care during pregnancy.…”

“…Women’s demographic, obstetric, and economic characteristics such as age, highest level of education, parity, marital status, place of residence, region, and wealth quintile were included as confounding factors to examine the independent relationship between the number of ANC contacts and receiving quality maternal health care. Existing literature linking these characteristics to the content of care received influenced their inclusion (Ameyaw et al., 2021; Jiwani et al., 2020).…”