Regional Disparities of Antenatal Care Utilization in Indonesia

Abstract

IntroductionThe main strategy for decreasing maternal morbidity and mortality with antenatal care (ANC). ANC aims to monitor and maintain the health and safety of the mother and fetus, detect all complications of pregnancy and take the necessary actions, respond to complaints, prepare for birth, and promote healthy living behavior. The study aims to analyze inter-regional disparities in [≥]4 ANC visits during pregnancy in Indonesia.\n\nMethodsData sources from 2017 Indonesian Demographic and Health Survey (IDHS). With an analysis unit of women aged 15-49 years old, a sample of 15,351 women was obtained. Besides ANC as the dependent variable, other variables analyzed were place of residence, age, husband/partner, education, parity, wealth status, and health insurance. Analysis using Binary Logistic Regression for the final test to determine disparity.\n\nResultsAll regions show a gap with the Papua region as a reference, except the Maluku region which was not significant shows differences in the use of ANC compared to the Papua. Women in the Nusa Tenggara have 4,365 chances of making [≥]4 ANC visits compared to the Papua region. Women in Java-Bali have 3,607 times more chances to make [≥]4 ANC visits than women in the Papua region. Women in Sumatra have 1,370 chances of making [≥]4 ANC visits compared to women in the Papua region. Women in Kalimantan have 2.232 times made [≥]4 ANC visits compared to women in the Papua region. Women in Sulawesi have 1,980 times more than AN4 ANC visits compared to women in the Papua region. In addition to the region category, other variables found to contribute to the predictor were age, husband/partner, education, parity, wealth and insurance.\n\nConclusionThere were disparities between regions in the ANC utilization in Indonesia.