Assessing compliance with antenatal care visits among pregnant women attending primary health care centers in Al-Hilla City, Iraq

Background
Antenatal care is essential for promoting the health and well-being of pregnant women and their unborn babies throughout pregnancy.

Objectives
To assess compliance with antenatal care visits among women attending primary health care centers for postnatal care and to determine the socio-demographic and medical factors associated with compliance.

Material and methods
This cross-sectional study was conducted at primary health care centers in Al-Hilla City. A convenience sample of 325 women who attended these centers for postnatal care within six weeks after delivery and consented to participate was included in the study. Data collection was based on women’s antenatal care cards, medical records, and interviews using a pre-designed questionnaire, which gathered information on socio-demographic, medical, and obstetrical factors.

Results
A total of 325 postpartum women participated in the study. Among them, 48.3% attended at least eight antenatal care visits. Most women (83.3%) who initiated their first antenatal care visit during the first trimester demonstrated higher compliance. Almost all (97.2%) participants reported private clinics as an additional source of antenatal care. Compliance was higher among women aged 15–19 years (70.7%, p = 0.018). Significant associations were found between compliance and both gravidity (p = 0.048) and parity (p = 0.001), with higher rates among primigravida (61.2%) and primiparous women (64.5%).

Conclusions
Less than half of the participants adhered to the recommended antenatal care visits. Antenatal care attendance was significantly associated with maternal age, gravidity, parity, inter-pregnancy spacing, history of pregnancy complications, and the timing of the first antenatal visit.