Abstract:
Developing countries has low antenatal care coverage. A new cadre of community levels health workers in
Ethiopia hoped to improve maternal health problem by providing antenatal care services. However, level of antenatal care
services utilization from rural health extension workers is not well known. Thus, this study aimed to assess antenatal cares
utilizations and associated factors from rural health extension workers in Abuna Gindeberet district of West Shewa,
Oromiya regional state, Central Ethiopia. A community-based cross-sectional study design was employed among 703
randomly identified mothers of Abuna Gindeberet district in March 2013. Data were collected through intervieweradministered questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS version 16.0 software. Descriptive, bivariate and multivariate analyses
were used to determine prevalence and in identifying, associated factors of antenatal care considering p-value of 0.05. Five
hundred seventy nine (82.4%) of the mothers had received antenatal care services during their recent pregnancy. From total
mothers used antenatal care services, four hundred twenty three of them (73.1%) received the service from health extension
workers. Age, educational level of respondent, distance from health post, decision makers in household and being model
family were found to be statistically significant with antenatal care services utilization from health extension workers.
Antenatal care service utilization from rural health extension workers was high. Age, educational level of the respondent,
distance from health post, parity, decision making way and being a model family were among the predictors of antenatal
care utilization from health extension workers. Thus, focusing the identified factors could improve and sustain antenatal
care services from rural health extension workers.
