Antenatal care (ANC) is vital for accessing prevention of mother to child transmission (PMTCT)
services. The timing of the first ANC visit is critical for HIV infected pregnant women to access
antiretroviral (ARV) prophylaxis as recommended. In addition pregnant women access other
interventions like syphilis screening and treatment, provision of ferrous iron supplements, malaria
prevention and treatment, health education, identification and management of risk factors. There
is however paucity of information on factors associated with the timing and adequate use of ANC
services in Chitungwiza Township, Zimbabwe.
Aim
This study aimed to determine the factors associated with early access to and adequate use of ANC
services among women attending ANC in the four polyclinics in Chitungwiza Township.
Method
The study included a retrospective record review of women who registered for ANC in 2010 and a
cross sectional study of pregnant women attending ANC clinic for the first time during the current
pregnancy during the survey period. Data on gestation age at first ANC visit, number of ANC visits,
age, gravidity, parity, tetanus, iron sulphate, rhesus results, HIV test result, WHO clinical stage, CD4
count, cotrimoxazole, PMTCT option accepted, date of initiation of AZT or ART; partner HIV test
results; and infant feeding adherence done was abstracted into an MS Excel spreadsheet from the
2010 ANC registers in the four primary health care clinics. Every fourth record was captured. Exit
interviews were also conducted on all women attending ANC for the first time during the current
pregnancy using a structured questionnaire. Questions on socio-economic status, pregnancy
history, reasons for seeking ANC, knowledge and belief about ANC services and their perception of
the service received were asked. The outcome variables were gestation age at first ANC visit and
the number of ANC visits. The spreadsheet was imported into Epi Info 7.0.9.7 and STATA 11 for
analysis. The questionnaires were captured into an Epi Info 7 database exported to STATA 11 for
analysis.