ABSTRACT
This study sought to identify impediments preventing childbearing mothers in Oredo Local Government Area’s Primary Healthcare Centers (PHC) from effectively utilizing Antenatal Care (ANC) services. Four (4) research questions were posed to direct the study, and three (3) of those were hypothesized and tested at the 0.05 level of significance.
A descriptive survey research design was used in the study. Through the use of purposive sampling and simple random selection, 447 respondents were chosen at random from the population. A self-structured questionnaire was used as the study's tool. Three specialists in the HSE department validated the tool. To assess the proposed hypotheses at the 0.05 level of significance, the statistical analysis was performed utilizing frequency counts, percentages, Pearson's Product Moment Correlation Coefficient Statistics, and chi-square.
The results showed that the issues preventing pregnant women in Oredo Local Government Area from using antenatal care include distance to the health centers, unfriendliness of medical staff, pregnant women's lack of commitment, and irregular attendance at the health facility. Drawing from the study's results, the researcher suggests that steps be taken to shorten the distance between residential areas and primary healthcare centers (PHCs). This could be achieved by expanding the number of PHCs or by offering transportation support to expectant mothers who live far from medical facilities.
