Availability, Utilisation, and Perceived Barriers to Antenatal Care Services Among Pregnant Women in Igbo-Etiti Local Government Area, Enugu State, Nigeria

Abstract

Antenatal care (ANC) remains one of the most cost-effective interventions for reducing maternal and perinatal mortality, yet utilisation in rural Nigerian communities continues to fall short of World Health Organisation recommendations. This study examined the availability, utilisation and perceived barriers to ANC services among pregnant women in Igbo-Etiti Local Government Area (LGA); the study investigated whether utilisation differs significantly by social demography using a descriptive cross-sectional survey design. A sample of 284 pregnant women and recently delivered mothers was drawn from primary health centres across Igbo-Etiti using a multi-stage sampling technique. Population was 1,200 women accessing maternal health services. Data were collected using a questionnaire (Cronbach's alpha = 0.81–0.86) and analysed using descriptive statistics and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) at the 0.05 significance level. Findings showed moderate perceived availability of ANC services (grand mean = 2.94 of 4.00). Only 42.3% of respondents attained the recommended minimum of four ANC visits. Distance/transportation (68.3%), cost of services (61.6%) and long waiting times (57.7%) were the most frequently cited barriers. Results revealed statistically significant differences in ANC utilisation based on age (F = 8.42, p < .001), level of education (F = 14.67, p < .001), location (F = 11.05, p = .001) and marital status (F = 6.38, p < .001). The study concludes that ANC utilisation in Igbo-Etiti LGA remains suboptimal and is significantly shaped by sociodemographic disparities, and recommends targeted community health education, subsidised transportation and service-delivery reforms to close identified gaps.