Factors influencing the utilization of antenatal care services among pregnant adolescents at Holy Family Hospital, Berekum

Abstract

The study focused on the factors influencing the utilization of antenatal care services among pregnant adolescents at Holy Family Hospital, Berekum. A descriptive cross-sectional survey was used to collect in-depth information for the study. The respondents were obtained using the convenient sampling method. A total of 50 pregnant adolescennts were sampled for the study. The data for the study was collected by administering a questionnaire to the participants. The study found that majority of the respondents (32%) indicated that they heard about ANC from the hospital, 28% of the respondents also indicated that they heard about ANC from the media, 24% of the respondents indicated that they heard about ANC from their friends, 10% of the respondents indicated that they heard about ANC at community meetings and 6% of the respondents. The study recommended that women should be empowered by healthcare providers in terms of their education and economic status which are key factors in ANC attendance to prevent the vicious cycle of associated problems, also health services must institute a program call teenagers or adolescent health friendly policies in a setting where services are constrain to guide decisions around them, focus antenatal Clinic seems to be of important aspect that health services should practice and health providers’ attitude and the strength of patient-provider relationships are major determinants of adolescent willingness to attend ANC. The study concluded that majority of the respondents (n=45, 90%) have heard about ANC, majority of the respondents (56%) understood must be attended and most of the respondents (90%) concluded that poor attendance to ANC is a health problem