Appropriate antenatal care is important in preventing adverse pregnancy outcomes for both the
mother and the baby but many mothers in the developing world do not receive such care. This
paper uses data from the 1993 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey to study the variationsin
the use of antenatal services in Kenya. The analysis is based on modelling the frequency and
timing of antenatal visits using three-level linear regression models. The results show that the
use of antenatal care in Kenya is determined by a range of socio-economic, cultural and
reproductive factors, including the availability and accessibility of health services and the
desirability of a pregnancy. Unwanted and mistimed pregnancies are associated with poor
attendance at antenatal clinics but this e ect variessignificantly between women. The results also
indicate that women are highly consistent in the use of antenatal care during pregnancies and the
correlation is strongest in urban areas