Late antenatal care initiation and associated factors among pregnant mothers attending Hawassa Public Health Facilities, South Ethiopia

Objective: : To assess prevalence of late ANC initiation and its associated factors among pregnant women attending in Hawassa Public Health Facilities, South Ethiopia, 2019. Method: and materials: Cross-sectional study was conducted from June 15 to August 15 /2019 among 392 pregnant women’s who visited Hawassa city’s public health facilities, Southern Ethiopia for 1 st ANC service. Pregnant mothers were enrolled using systematic technique and data was collected using semi-structured questionnaires. Epi-data version 3.1 used for data entry and SPSS version 24 for data analysis was used. Variables at p-value <0.25 on binary model was taken into multivariable logistic regression and finally significance was declared at a P-value 0f < 0.05. Results: : The prevalence of late ANC visit was 57.7% (95% CI=52.74-62.57%). Maternal age group, 31-35 years (AOR=4.93, 95% CI=1.70-14.27), Husband with no formal education (AOR=2.88,95% CI=1.17-7.314), no previous ANC (AOR=2.03, 95% CI=1.20-3.43), no history of obstetric complications (AOR=4.05, 95% CI=2.06-7.96), Unplanned pregnancy (AOR=2.40,95%CI=1.23-4.68), and no partner support (AOR=2.47,95%CI=1.16-5.26) were significantly associated with increased odds of late ANC initiation. However, Maternal decision making for service (AOR=0.40, 95%CI=0.18-0.87) were significantly associated with decreased odds of late ANC initiation. Conclusion: and recommendation: late ANC initiation was high in the study area. Maternal age, husband level of education, previous ANC and obstetric complications, type of pregnancy, maternal decision making, and partner support were significantly associated with late ANC initiation. The City’s health offices need to provide education about danger sign of pregnancy and its complication, create awareness about the importance of early ANC initiation and its recommended time.