Health Care Seeking Behaviour of Pregnant Women Attending Antenatal Clinic in Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Owerri Imo State, Nigeria

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@article{1708917,
      author = {Cosmas Nnadozie Ezejindu, Ifeoma Vivian. Ugwueke, Martin Chinemerem Onuigbo, Linda Chidinma Chukwuemeka-ANI},
      title = {Health Care Seeking Behaviour of Pregnant Women Attending Antenatal Clinic in Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Owerri Imo State, Nigeria},
      journal = {Iconic Research And Engineering Journals},
      year = {2025},
      volume = {8},
      number = {12},
      pages = {637-648},
      issn = {2456-8880},
      url = {https://www.irejournals.com/formatedpaper/1708917.pdf},
      abstract = {Background

Maternal healthcare plays a crucial role in public health, as it significantly impacts the well-being of both mothers and their infants. The antenatal period, in particular, offers a vital window for preventing potential complications and promoting favorable outcomes for both maternal and neonatal health. 

Methods 
The researcher adopted a cross-sectional descriptive survey design, A well structured questionnaire was used for data collection. The instrument, validated by experts and tested for reliability (r = 0.815), captured respondents? socio-demographic characteristics, antenatal attendance patterns, and preferences for maternal healthcare services. 

Results
Findings revealed that a majority of respondents (67.7%) were within the age bracket of 26?35 years, with 84.6% reporting marital status as married. About 52.9% had tertiary education, and 63.5% identified as civil servants. On antenatal attendance, 76.3% reported initiating ANC visits within the first or second trimester, and 81.0% had attended more than three ANC sessions at FMC Owerri. Approximately 86.2% of respondents preferred hospital-based deliveries, while only 7.3% reported seeking care from traditional birth attendants. The key reasons cited for choosing FMC included availability of skilled personnel (54.9%) and quality of care (29.2%). However, 21.1% of participants highlighted the high cost of services as a major challenge, and 16.4% reported long waiting times as a barrier. Cultural beliefs still influenced decision-making in 14.1% of the respondents, with 11.2% preferring prayer houses for pregnancy-related issues. Despite this, overall service satisfaction was high, with 88.5% of respondents expressing satisfaction with the care received at FMC Owerri. Most notably, 91.9% indicated willingness to recommend the facility to other pregnant women. 

Conclusion
The utilization of maternal health services at FMC Owerri is relatively high among the sampled population, with early antenatal initiation and preference for skilled delivery being the norm. However, socio-economic and cultural barriers persist. Strategic interventions focused on subsidizing care, enhancing service efficiency, and addressing cultural sensitivities are recommended to further improve maternal healthcare uptake.},
      keywords = {About four key words or phrases in alphabetical order, separated by commas. Keywords are used to retrieve documents in an information system such as an online journal or a search engine. (Mention 4-5 keywords)},
      month = {June},
  }